Paper Stars, Paper Hearts
by strwbrygrl77
Summary: Marshall and Mary are forced into hiding to keep their witness' 4 yr old daughter safe. AU Post S3.
1. Prologue

**Hello, dear readers! This is my first venture into the M rated world - and I debated whether or not to post it that high. But due to some of the subject content (violence, language, etc) I decided to post it here. There are suggestive adult situations but no actual sex scenes. This is also my first plot driven story - I usually just do the fluff pieces with a little plot. This one contains a good amount of both.**

**Timeline: Post S3. Baby Norah doesn't exist. The personal relationship between Marshall and Abigail doesn't exist.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and the original characters that appear in this universe.**

* * *

**72 hours ago**

"Down by the bay, where the watermelons grow – back to my home, I dare not go. For if I do, my mother will say: did you ever see a goose kissing a moose, down by the bay?"

Carmen smiled at the sound of her daughter's laughter and Marshall's chant-like singing that drifted in the window from the backyard. She looked up from loading the dishwasher to see Sadie running across the lawn, wearing a crown of daisies in her hair and waving one of her fairy wands. Marshall was standing in the middle of the backyard, wearing a scarf over his eyes, holding out his long arms, trying to catch Sadie by the sound of her giggles.

"Did you ever see a llama eating his pajamas?" he sang as Sadie ran past, just avoiding his sweeping hands with a giggle. "Did you ever see a fly wearing a tie?"

Carmen couldn't help but laugh herself as she put the last cup in the dishwasher and started the machine. Picking up the small tray of cupcakes and lemonade, she headed back outside to rejoin the birthday celebration.

"Who's ready for birthday cupcakes?"

Marshall turned towards the sound of her voice just as Sadie ran into his outstretched arms. He picked her up and tossed her in the air, and sang over her delighted squeals. "Did you ever have a time when you couldn't think of a rhyme – down by the bay?" He freed one hand to pull the scarf off his eyes. "Well, lookee here! I caught the birthday girl! Whatever shall I do with her?"

"Star! Down!" Sadie demanded, her lip trembling in a pout. "Cake!"

"I don't know, Sadie girl," Marshall drawled. "You tied me up and blindfolded me – does she deserve cake, mom?"

Carmen placed her hands on her hips. "I swear, it's like having two kids whenever you come over. Now kiss and make up so we can have our cupcakes."

Sadie leaned up and placed a wet smack on Marshall's cheek and smiled.

Marshall chuckled. "You're forgiven, Sadie girl. But not all the boys you play with will be as understanding as me, ok?"

Sadie nodded wisely.

An hour later when Sadie was playing in her bath, Carmen thanked Marshall for coming. "I know that you have lots of other witnesses – but it really meant a lot to Sadie, you coming to her fourth birthday party. I don't think it would have been much of a party with just the two of us."

Marshall smiled reassuringly. "It's okay, Carmen. It was my pleasure – and by next year, both of you will have made lots of friends to invite."

Carmen shifted on her feet. "Next year seems so far away when I can't even think beyond next week."

Marshall had been in the act of putting on his jacket but he stopped at her words. "Is everything all right? I thought things went well today. I know Tippy was a little hard on you but he was just trying to rattle you, see if he could poke holes in your testimony, but you held your own. You're going to do just fine."

"Marshall, you'd do anything to protect me and Sadie, right?"

He frowned. "Of course, you are both my witnesses – are you saying you've been compromised in some way?"

She shook her head. "No, Tony hasn't found us – but I'm terrified of what will happen when he sees me at the trial and I don't want Sadie anywhere near New York City ever again."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that I want you to stay here in Albuquerque with her when I go testify next week."

Marshall sighed. "Carmen, I can't do that-"

"Why not? You just said that we're both your witnesses and Sadie is my life. I would die if something happened to her."

"And without your testimony, your husband won't go to jail."

"I'm not saying I won't testify, I will. I'm just saying that I'll go with Mary instead of you. I need you to stay with Sadie, please. You're the only one I trust with her – and that she trusts. She loves you, you have to know that."

"I do know that –" Marshall sighed again and cleared his throat. "But Mary's on vacation."

"What? Since when? For how long?"

"She left a couple days ago and will be gone for a couple of months – so I don't see how-"

"Then get your boss to take me," Carmen pleaded. "Please, Marshall. I have to know that Sadie is safe and sound here with you. It will give me the strength to face Tony again and do what I have to do. Please promise me that you'll take care of her for me – or I swear I won't testify."

"Carmen-" Marshall warned.

"Mama! I'm done!" Sadie called from the bathroom.

"I'll be right there, baby!" Carmen answered before she turned back to her inspector. "I mean it, Marshall. Protect my daughter like she was your own – or I won't testify."

Marshall looked at the steely resolve in the young woman's eyes before him and slowly shook his head. "There's no need for ultimatums, Carmen. I'll talk to Stan in the morning, all right? You and Sadie are my witnesses – I'm sworn to protect both of you. And if you want me to stay here with Sadie while you go testify, I'll do it."

Carmen threw her arms around Marshall and kissed his cheek. "Thank you!"


	2. Calm before the Storm

***See A/N at the end**

* * *

**Present Day**

Mary pulled her rental car into Marshall's driveway next to his truck and turned off the engine. For a few moments, she sat there staring at his small house, wondering what her reception was going to be when he pulled open the door. After all, she had been the one to walk away from him five days ago when he had poured his heart out – again. She was supposed to be in Cancun, with Faber of all people, and yet when she had met him at the airport she realized she couldn't do it, to Marshall or herself.

"_What's wrong, Kitten?" Faber grinned wolfishly as he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into him. "Aren't you excited at the prospect of spending two whole weeks with me in the sand and the surf? No one Mann entourage, no witnesses, no messy loose ends to tie up, eh?"_

_Mary licked her lips nervously as the word 'messy' bounced around inside her skull – accompanied by a pair of haunting blue eyes. "I'm afraid I can't go."_

"_What – why?"_

"_Something's come up – something messy."_

_Faber groaned as he nuzzled her neck, turning on all his charm to persuade her to change her mind. "Are you sure Marshall can't handle it without you?"_

_In a move that surprised the FBI agent, Mary spun out of his hold and picked up her carryon. "No, he definitely needs me to back him up," she stated seriously, biting her lip to keep from laughing. "It's quite a big mess."_

_Faber sighed. "I can certainly see how you've accumulated so many banked vacation days in the first place, Kitten."_

_She shrugged and handed him his ticket. "Go have fun for me. Get a tan. Get drunk. Have sex with a hot senorita half your age – but please, make sure she's of legal age-"_

"_Hey! One time! That only happened one time and it was long before I met you."_

_Mary shook her head at him before giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Bye, Faber."_

_He caught her around the hips before she pulled away. "Should I call you when I get back?"_

_She shook her head at him sadly. "Only if it's to brag about how much fun you had without me – and only if I can bring my one Mann entourage."_

_A look of understanding passed between them as Faber leaned close and gave Mary a short, sweet kiss on the lips. "Bye, Kitten."_

Mary was brought back to the present abruptly as something hit her back bumper and she glanced in her rearview mirror in alarm. Two teenage boys ran up, waving their arms and grabbed their baseball from under her car. One of them came around the side to yell at her through the window.

"Sorry, lady!"

Mary rolled her eyes and waved the boy off; thankful the windows were all intact. She had no idea that Marshall lived in such a dangerous neighborhood. Her cell chirped on the passenger seat and she picked it up to look at the text message.

_**You coming inside?**_

Her head shot up in surprise and she saw the curtains in the front window twitch slightly. _Damn it! How long have I been sitting out here with him staring at me? He probably heard me drive up – this car's not exactly quiet._

Her phone beeped again.

_**Up to you – door's unlocked.**_

Frustrated with herself, Mary got out of the car and slammed the door, listening as the sound echoed in the empty street. _I don't know why I'm hesitating now. I mean, I backed out of my vacation because I realized that I wanted to give – whatever this is between us a shot. So, why am I still standing out here and not inside screwing my partner's brains out? _

With a groan, Mary leaned against the side of the car and buried her face in her hands.

* * *

Marshall let the curtain fall back into place but he continued to stand by the window after sending the last text message to observe his partner. Clearly she was agitated and fighting an internal battle with herself. He had never known Mary to arrive at his house and hesitate before crossing the threshold. There had been times when she had stumbled across it in weariness, and one time he had actually carried her across because she had fallen asleep in his car. There had been several times she had been so drunk that she had nearly fallen on her face getting into his house – to the amusement of both of them. But most of the time, Mary drove up, slammed her car door and banged on his front door until he opened it. If he left it open for her, she just barged right in – no matter what his state of undress or activity.

But he had never witnessed a scene like the one that was currently unfolding in his driveway. Mary's face was now covered by her fingers and he could see her body shaking from some suppressed emotion. Marshall was fighting all his urges to go to her side – to meet her halfway. After all, she had come this far on her own; wasn't that good enough? But the wounded part of him, the part that had cracked open and bled five days ago and just now was beginning to scab over wouldn't let him move. It was clear that Mary had come to him for something – but what if it wasn't for the something he wanted? What if it was to tell him she was in trouble? What if she had come to tell him she was leaving him, leaving Albuquerque?

Marshall put a lid on his negative thoughts, knowing all he could do was wait for Mary to come in and tell him what was on her mind. If she turned tail and ran from him again – well, then he would have to consider taking action. His hand tightened on the curtain. But hadn't he already done that? He all but said 'I love you' and she had run – she would always run. Marshall was getting tired of chasing her, waiting for her, hoping she would open her eyes and see. . . .

"Hi."

Marshall whirled from the window, nearly dropping his cell phone in surprise to see Mary standing in his doorway. _Smooth, real smooth, Mann. You never even heard her coming. _

Mary was biting her lip, partly in nerves, partly to keep from laughing as she realized she had gotten the drop on her partner. "You said the door was open-"

"So I did – why are you here?"

Mary stiffened at his formal tone. "When the hell have I ever needed a reason to stop by?"

Marshall crossed the room to the sofa, motioning her to sit as well. "I mean, why aren't you in Cancun, sunning yourself on the beach and blowing off steam?"

She averted her eyes at the phrase and sat down, being careful to keep space between them. "I – I don't do vacations, you know that."

"I'll bet Faber was disappointed."

Her mouth fell open. "I – I – how-"

"He called the office to confirm that you were meeting at the airport and not at his house," Marshall said the last word with disgust.

Mary closed her eyes, unable at this point to even look her partner in the eye. "I – I can explain, Marshall-"

"Explain what? How you needed to blow off steam and instead of picking up some random cowboy at a bar you decided to go with someone you knew?"

Mary could tell by his voice that he had stood up and was pacing. Her eyes were beginning to burn as she felt the tears forming.

"And instead of coming to me – the one who had just-" Marshall paused, trying to get his voice under control. "The one who would do anything for you – you went to that FBI jackass who doesn't even call you by your name."

"But I didn't go," she whispered, her eyes still screwed shut.

Marshall was facing away from her, still trying to get his own emotions under control. "And why not?"

"I – I-"

Marshall whirled and crouched in front of her, grasping her shoulders. The sudden move caused Mary's eyes to fly open in shock and she nearly cringed at the pain she saw in his.

"Why not?" he repeated, louder this time. "Because you no longer felt the need to blow off steam? Because you felt guilty for walking out on me? Or was it because-"

"Stop it!" she screamed back, cupping his face and bringing her lips down on his harshly. It was a bruising, demanding kiss and Marshall remained still, letting Mary control the passion and the length of time it went on. She pulled back and said a bit breathlessly, "I didn't go because I couldn't stop thinking about your face and what you said and-" Mary hiccupped.

Marshall got off his knees and sat next to her on the couch, pulling her against his chest. "Relax, Mer, breathe. Take a couple of slow, deep breaths. That's my girl," he encouraged as he felt her relax against him as he ran his fingers through her hair. He looked down to see her green eyes studying his face. "What is it?"

"I don't know how to do this."

He smoothed more hair back from her temples. "Do what?"

"Us. You and me – I mean, outside of work we spend a lot of time together already. And it's not like we haven't slept together – we just haven't-" Mary broke off as she felt the heat suffuse her face.

A chuckle rumbled through Marshall's chest. "Why, milady, is that a blush I see?"

She rolled her eyes. "Like you've never thought about us like that – I've seen you staring at the girls often enough!"

"Shows how much you know – I happen to be a leg man."

"Liar!"

Marshall held his poker face for five seconds before they both dissolved in laughter. When he regained his composure, he caressed her cheek. "And you said you didn't know how to do this? I think you're better than you think you are. Just don't over think it."

"That's rich coming from you, Mr. Spock," she teased him.

Marshall's stomach rumbled. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Sushi?"

* * *

"Are you going to play or draw, Mer? I'm aging here," Marshall grinned as his eyes flicked back and forth between their Scrabble game and the TV.

She snorted as she concentrated on her tiles. "Please, you're so focused on _Star Trek _I've had to poke you whenever it's your turn," she groused as she laid down an 'e' and an 's' tile. "I mean, it's not like you haven't seen this movie what, twenty times by now?"

"And yet, look who's winning this game."

"By two points!"

"You just added 'es' to sex – you think that's going to win you the game?"

"Hey, we're down to the last tiles here. You think you can do better?"

"Patience, young grasshopper, while I study the board-" His eyes lit in triumph as he grabbed his last three tiles and played them. "Ha! Take that, Mary Shannon – I'm out, with a triple word score to boot!"

Mary looked at the board. "You're such a cheater! _**Husbandman**_ – that's not even a word!"

"Ah contraire, my Cherie! Husbandman means farmer."

She leaned back against the couch and crossed her arms. "You are so making that up."

"In the book of Genesis, Noah is called a husbandman-"

Her mouth dropped open. "The bible? You're seriously quoting the bible to me right now?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm very well read – and I thought you were Catholic."

"I'm not debating religion with you – I'm questioning the fact that you're cheating to win this game."

"And I'm trying to explain that 'husbandman' is a perfectly legitimate Middle English word that means farmer. Farming is one of the oldest professions in-"

With a howl of mock outrage Mary launched herself across the distance between them taking Marshall to the floor. He allowed himself to be trapped underneath her, enjoying her weight atop him, her breath in his face, her green eyes so dangerously close to his own.

"Admit it – you made the word up!"

He chuckled as he brought his hands up to rest on her hips, watching as her eyes widened as she realized for the first time what a compromising position they were in. "I can't – it's a real word. Admit it, Mer, you're just a sore loser."

She grinned down at him. "You already knew that – and yet, you continue to play with me."

He slid one hand slowly up her back. "That's because I love playing games with you."

Mary felt the change in Marshall's tone, the way he started to caress her back and suddenly she felt like she couldn't breathe. "Let me up – I must be crushing you."

He arched an eyebrow. "How heavy do you think you are?"

She lifted a hand to punch his shoulder but the movement only caused her to lose her balance and fall more heavily against him. She let her hair fall down around her face like a curtain and rested her forehead on his collarbone. They were perfectly aligned from shoulder to hip and Mary began to tremble as she realized how aroused her partner was becoming at her close proximity.

"I'm scared," she breathed into his collarbone.

Marshall swallowed hard, trying not to become overly aroused at the feeling of his partner's hot breath against his skin. "Of?" he asked softly, continuing to stroke her back with one hand.

To his relief, Mary lifted her head and rested her chin on her hands atop his chest. "Not of the sex – I've always been great at that part," she paused and tried not to laugh as Marshall blushed. "It's what comes after that I suck at."

Marshall waited to see if she would add anything more before he said softly, "The relationship?"

Mary made a face and averted her eyes even as she nodded slightly.

"But we already have an established relationship – we'll just be adding to it."

He felt her begin to tremble against him and he held her a little tighter.

"And what if it doesn't work out? What if I fuck it up, or you over think it, or-"

"Stop it," he whispered. In a role reversal of earlier, he brought his lips to hers and kissed her. This time he refused to be a passive participant as his hands roamed over her hips and his tongue licked at her closed mouth, demanding entrance. Mary gasped and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, finding her tongue and pulling her body higher atop his. When oxygen became an issue, he pulled away and looked into her eyes only to see that her fear still lingered. "I'm scared too, Mer," he added.

Her eyes widened at his admission.

"But I'm more afraid of what will happen to us if we don't give this a real chance."

He watched the emotions play over her face, and he could feel that her body was still deciding whether to fight or flee. "I have been, and ever shall be your friend, Mary Shannon – no matter what happens."

"Seriously? A _Star Trek _quote now?"

He shrugged. "Doesn't make it any less true – if I haven't proven to you by now that I'm in this for the long haul-"

His words were cut off by her lips and there was a flurry of activity as hands removed clothing. Mary was kissing a trail from Marshall's neck to his navel when he suddenly rolled them over and stood up. She shivered from the loss of body contact and looked up at him in confusion.

Marshall pulled her up and into his arms. "Do you know how many times I've dreamed of making love to you?" He groaned as she buried her face in his neck and resumed kissing his skin. "We're not making love for the first time on my living room floor."

She stopped her kisses and grinned up at him lasciviously. "Well then, take me to bed, Marshall, before I push you against the wall and have my way with you."

* * *

Mary sighed deeply and snuggled a little further into her pillow. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept so well and even though her bladder was screaming at her to get up and empty it, she was too comfortable to move. It was only when the 'pillow' moved underneath her that her eyes flew open in surprise and she took in her surroundings.

_Oh my God – I'm in Marshall's room, in his bed, on top of my partner – naked._

"I can hear your wheels turning, Mer. Stop thinking," Marshall whispered, as he ran a hand down her bare back.

Mary lifted her head and met his eyes in the darkened room. "I can't help it. I can't believe we waited so long to do that."

He chuckled. "Hey, I was waiting for you – I wanted to do this **years** ago."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "How many years ago?"

He hesitated, knowing that if he was completely honest with her and said 'since our second year together' – the words would send her running from his bed and all he would have was the memory of this night.

"Since the barn."

Mary's brow wrinkled in confusion and then she smiled. "The night I smeared lipstick on you?"

He nodded.

"You know," she purred, pressing her naked body against his. "I think Brandi still has the dress I wore that night – somewhere."

He groaned and pulled her into a long, slow, sultry kiss. "You make me feel so dirty," he growled against her lips.

Mary laughed and rolled away from him. "I really have to pee."

"Mood killer," he pouted.

"Hold that thought, tiger. I'll be right back."

Marshall flopped back against the pillows, grinning like an idiot, never taking his eyes off her as she sauntered into the bathroom, naked as a jaybird. He couldn't believe that they had finally made love – he wanted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

Mary had just reappeared in the doorway when he heard his cell phone going off in the living room. "Shit! Is that yours or mine?" she asked as he threw back the covers and headed for the hallway.

"You're supposed to be on vacation, remember? I'm pretty sure it's mine." Marshall had located his pants at the end of hall but his phone had stopped ringing.

"Who was it?"

Marshall frowned. "Carmen."

Mary was instantly on alert. "Isn't she due to testify next week?"

Marshall was motioning for her to be quiet as he hit redial. "Damn it – the call's not going through."

Both partners were moving in sync back to the bedroom. Mary flipped on the light as Marshall pulled on a clean pair of boxers and reached for another pair of jeans. He was slipping on a shirt before he noticed that his partner was dressed and sitting on the bed, pulling on her boots.

"Where are you going?"

"With you."

"Mer, you're supposed to be on vacation –"

"Marshall, I'm not letting you go over there without backup."

He sighed. "You don't have your-"

She stepped into his personal space, framing his face with her hands. "My badge and weapons are in my portable safe in the car. Let's go."

He leaned in and gave her a brief kiss. "This wasn't how I wanted our night-"

"I know."

His phone rang again and Marshall answered, "Carmen, are you there?"

_Silence._

Marshall and Mary started walking towards the front door. "Carmen, its Marshall. What's going on?"

"_Star?"_

Marshall stopped in his tracks as he heard the scared voice of Carmen's daughter come over the line. "Sadie?"

"_Star, help!"_

Mary's eyes met his and he motioned for her to get her guns from the car as he locked his front door. "Sadie, where's your mom? What happened?"

"_Mama hurt – Daddy here."_

Marshall bit back a curse as his worst fears were realized. "Sadie, where are you? Are you safe-" he stopped as his phone beeped. He removed it from his ear so he could look at the display: **call lost**.

"Damn it!" he swore as he ran for his truck.

* * *

**A/N: As a special gift to you, dear readers, I wrote this entire fic before posting any of it so there wouldn't be the danger of leaving any of you hanging. But you've got to do your part by pushing that button and dropping me reviews. It's the only way to let me know that you want MORE!**


	3. Deja Vu

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed and asked for MORE - here you go! And I know there's more of you out there - so don't forget to push the button at the end and send more love my way ;)**

* * *

Mary called Stan en route to Carmen's as well as APD.

"Have I mentioned lately how much I miss Dershowitz?" Mary grumbled as she hung up with the police department. "He knew when **not** to ask questions – now we have to start all over with some new yahoos and cheerleaders who don't know when to shut the hell up and just get the fuck over here!"

"Detective Chaffee isn't that bad – and I'm pretty sure Bobby D filled her in on us before he left," Marshall managed a small smile, acknowledging the fact that his partner was trying to distract him. But as the miles ticked by ever so slowly he couldn't stop thinking about Carmen and Sadie Turner.

Carmen had grown up in New York City in the foster care system, gone to public schools, and along the way had fallen in love with the 'perfect guy'. It wasn't until she got pregnant her senior year in high school and they got married after graduation that the nightmare started. Mafia was an old fashioned word that was hardly ever used anymore – but Carmen knew she had married into a mob family. She and Sadie were treated like princesses even though they were never allowed to go anywhere without a bodyguard. Carmen lived in a world of high society and she tried to convince herself that everything was fine. It wasn't until she came home early one night and saw her husband "taking care of business" in the den that she freaked out, grabbed Sadie and ran straight to the FBI.

Carmen was only twenty-one years old when she entered WitSec and she was an odd mix of child and adult. She still looked like a kid and at times when she allowed herself to relax, she could act young. But when Marshall looked in her eyes and Carmen talked about her past life, she was old beyond her years.

Sadie was the pride and joy of her life. She had been born two weeks premature, and the umbilical cord had been wound around her neck during birth causing oxygen deprivation. As a result, Sadie had been slow to walk and talk; only time would tell how the hypoxia would affect her cognitive development. Sadie had captured Marshall's heart from the moment she had spied his badge and nicknamed him "Star".

Marshall was jerked back to the present as they pulled up to the house. He was only slightly relieved to see that the front door appeared to be closed and the house seemed quiet. He shut off the engine and looked at Mary.

She placed her glock in her hand. "Appearances can be deceiving," she said, reading his mind.

He nodded tightly and got out of the truck, his glock in hand. Mary started up the sidewalk first but he quickly stepped in front of her and she smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, habit." She moved behind, covering his ass. As they approached the front door, they saw that it was standing slightly ajar.

Marshall's eyes met hers as she dropped into a crouch and he nudged the door wide. Lying on the floor just on the other side was Carmen, bleeding from a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

Mary continued to cover Marshall and scan the living room as he knelt next to Carmen, checking for signs of life. "Pulse is weak and thready – she's not breathing, Mer." Marshall began CPR.

"I'll call the paramedics and check the rest of the house."

Marshall had completed several cycles of CPR before Mary came back. "There are signs of a struggle in Carmen's bedroom – but no Sadie."

He nodded in acknowledgement but kept going and Mary jumped in to assist. Both of them were relieved to hear the sirens and to let the EMTs take over.

"You didn't find any trace of Sadie in the house?" he whispered as they watched the paramedics work feverishly on Carmen.

"No. Her bed's been slept in –"

"What's going on here, Inspectors?" Stan demanded as he came through the door. He frowned at the scene in front of him. "Is Carmen- where's Sadie?"

"One question at a time, Stan," Marshall sighed. "I got a call from Sadie saying her mom was hurt and her dad was here."

"Son of a bitch!" Stan swore. "And?"

"And that's about all we know. We found Carmen when we got here – rest of the house is empty."

"Do you think he took Sadie?"

Marshall pinched the bridge of his nose. "I hope not- the call was lost, maybe she-"

"Excuse me, we're ready to transport," the female paramedic said.

"I'll go with her," Mary volunteered. "You keep looking for Sadie." She gave Marshall's hand a squeeze as she ran out the door after the EMTs.

"I thought I told her to go on vacation," Stan glared at Marshall.

Marshall threw up his hands defensively. "Hey, don't look at me. She's her own woman – and she doesn't do vacations, remember?"

Stan grunted. "So, I'll get on the phone and put out an alert on Antony Torelli and Sadie."

Marshall frowned. "Wait, Stan – before you do, let me check something first." He started to walk down the hall. "Maybe she's hiding."

"Where? It's a one story house, Marshall."

"She showed me her secret place once." He opened the back closet and pulled up the trap door, looking down into the inky blackness. "Sadie, are you down there? It's Star – you can come out now. It's safe."

For a few moments there was nothing but silence and Stan thought his Inspector had lost it. Then from the hole came the sounds of whimpering. Marshall crouched down next to the opening.

"Sadie? You're safe now – Star's here."

To Stan's astonishment, a tear-streaked, dirty face appeared out of the crawl space. "Star? Sadie safe?"

Marshall nodded. "Yes, Sadie's safe with Star now." He opened his arms.

Sadie crawled up into his lap, wrapped her little arms around his neck, and cried.

* * *

Stan stayed behind at the house to talk to Detective Chaffee as Marshall beat a hasty retreat with Sadie. He grabbed her car seat from Carmen's vehicle and watched in the rear view mirror as she fell into a fitful sleep on the drive to the hospital.

He found Mary pacing the emergency waiting room and she looked up, her relief evident when she saw Sadie cradled in his arms.

"Where was she?" she whispered, as she crossed the room to his side, running her hand down the sleeping girl's back.

"Under the house in a crawl space – she showed it to me once." He moved over to one of the couches in the corner of the room and attempted to lower Sadie onto it but she whimpered in her sleep, her little fists clinging tighter to his shirt front. Marshall made a soothing sound and sat down instead, still cradling her in his arms. "How's Carmen?"

Mary shook her head. "They rushed her straight into surgery to remove the bullet and repair the damage it had caused. It – it doesn't look good," she bit her lip as she collapsed next to him.

He freed an arm from Sadie and placed it around his partner, drawing her into his side. "Yeah, well, the doctors said the same thing about you this time last year."

She looked up at him. "You okay?"

Marshall blinked back the emotion. "At least Sadie is safe."

Mary hooked an arm around his neck, bringing their lips together briefly. "And you found her – don't forget that. You always do your best to keep everybody safe, Marshall."

He snorted softly. "My track record hasn't been that great lately, Mer. I'm one for three here."

She pulled back from him, bristling. "I'm not one of your witnesses, Marshall-"

"No, you're not. You're my best friend, my partner, and as of last night, my lover." He watched the emotions play over her face before continuing. "Do you have any idea the horrible sense of déjà vu I had when I opened that door and saw Carmen lying there from a gunshot wound almost identical to yours? We're doomed to repeat the past until we learn from it, but what the hell-"

Mary captured his chin in her hand and forced him to look into her eyes. "Listen to me, Doofus. None of this is your fault – not my shooting a year ago and certainly not Carmen's shooting tonight. No one knows better than I do how hard you work. You are constantly monitoring for breaches in security and doing threat assessments on behalf of our witnesses. But we can't do our jobs twenty-four seven – we have to sleep sometime. So quit trying to be Superman and focus on being that badass US Marshal I know for Sadie, all right?"

Marshall swallowed and took a deep breath, slightly distracted by her nearness. Did she have any idea what she did to him? Now that he knew how soft her skin was against his, he was afraid he wasn't ever going to be able to concentrate on the job when he was close to her without losing it like a lovesick teenager. With a small moan, he jerked his chin out of her grasp and pressed a kiss against her forehead. "Thanks, Mer."

She looked at him in confusion as he moved away from her on the sofa, being careful not to disturb a still sleeping Sadie. "For what?"

"For making me feel better – for knocking some sense into me."

She grinned. "Any time, partner. But I could think of better-"

"Inspector Mann, Inspector Shannon – I've been looking all over for you."

Mary groaned as their eager beaver office gopher came crashing into the waiting room. "Charlie, what are you doing here?"

"The boss man called and said that I needed to get over here on the double. He asked me to pick up some supplies for the safe house on Bleaker – said he doesn't want you taking Sadie back to either of your houses for the night."

"Thanks, Charlie," Marshall smiled wearily. "I'm sorry that you got dragged out of bed."

"Oh, I hadn't gone to bed yet! My Cousin Ryan's bachelor party was tonight and I was one of the designated drivers. I had just dropped off my last passenger when my phone rang."

"You were partying on a school night?" Mary was shaking her head. "Papa Stan's not going to like that."

"I wasn't partying –" Charlie argued.

"Yeah, only because you're not old enough to drink," she snorted.

"Knock it off, you two," Marshall whispered as Sadie stirred in his arms. The little girl's dark eyes blinked open and she looked around in confusion. "Hey Sadie girl, we're at the hospital."

Sadie's fingers opened and closed around his shirt. "Mama?" she whispered.

"The doctors are working on her right now."

He felt the tremor go through her body before she spoke again. "Daddy?"

"He wasn't at the house when Mary and I got there – was he alone when he came to get you and your mom tonight?"

Sadie shook her head before she buried her face in his chest, hiding. Mary looked at Marshall in concern.

"Do you think Tony brought backup?"

Marshall shook his head. "I don't think he'd risk bringing more than two men with him – it would have drawn unwanted attention." He gently pushed Sadie back so he could look her in the eyes. "Sadie girl, how many men did you see – one? Two?"

"Gino and Daddy."

"Who's Gino?" Charlie asked.

Mary elbowed him to shut him up. "Gino was Carmen and Sadie's bodyguard."

A tic appeared in Marshall's jaw. "You didn't see anyone else?"

Sadie shook her head and snuggled back into Marshall's chest, and he let her, wishing he could erase the night's trauma from her mind. "I think we need to get Sadie to the safe house so she can try and get some sleep. Mary, why don't you take-"

Mary held up her hands. "Oh no you don't. She's your witness and I'm lousy with kids, Doofus! I'll wait here for news about Carmen – besides we need to set up a protection detail for her as well. I really doubt Tony and Gino have left the city so-"

"Right – divide and conquer. You stay with Carmen and I'll go with Sadie. Charlie, did-"

"Don't worry, Inspectors. The boss man has me going over surveillance tapes from the airport, train, and bus stations to see how Tony entered town without our notice. I'll tell him what you guys are doing-"

"Thanks, kid – but I was just going to ask if you remembered to get coconut milk for Sadie since she's lactose intolerant."

The junior inspector flushed. "Oh, right. I forgot actually."

"Don't worry about it, Charlie. Marshall is just teasing you – I'm the mean one, remember?" Mary grinned wolfishly. "I'll grab the milk on my way over there later."

"Do you have the house keys and the rest of the supplies?" Marshall asked as he stood, shifting Sadie to the side.

"In my car," Charlie said, motioning towards the parking lot, as he backed towards the door. "I'll wait for you outside."

"I'll be right out," Marshall nodded as he looked down at Mary. "The house has a security system. I'll reset the alarm to the date we met, ok?"

"You're such a girl," Mary rolled her eyes.

"Would you like me to pick a more historically obscure date? Like D-day or the day E.T. opened in theaters or-"

Sadie giggled as Mary invaded her partner's personal space and pressed her lips firmly against his until he groaned. He placed his free hand on her hip and gently pushed her away. "Mary, behave, there's a minor in the room."

Mary glanced at Sadie and winked. "Sorry, kid. "

"Kissy, kissy," Sadie sing-songed.

Marshall laughed as Mary's eyes narrowed to slits. "Go on, get out of here."

"Hey, you started it." His smile faded as he headed for the door. "Call me as soon as you have any news?"

She nodded. "I promise."

* * *

Tony had just entered that floating phase between being awake and being asleep when his fuzzy brain registered the sound of the key card in the lock. With the deadly swiftness of a trained killer, his eyes snapped open and his feet carried him silently across the faded carpet of the motel room to stand behind the door as it swung open.

"It's me, Tee," Gino whispered as he entered, freezing in his tracks at the sight of Tony's gun trained on his chest. "Put that down, will ya? I don't want to go back to the ER with a gunshot wound."

Tony sagged in relief at the sight of his lifelong friend and bodyguard. "How's the hand?"

Gino waved the bandaged appendage in the air. "I'll live – your little bambino didn't break the skin, thank God, but it's a deep bone bruise. I got some ibuprofen for pain."

"You better not have hurt her-"

"I would never hurt Sadie, man, you know that! You're the one that-"

Tony groaned loudly and collapsed on the bed. "Do not remind me of what happened tonight! I can't stop reliving it! Angela was screaming and crying and telling me that there was no way in hell she was ever going to let me get my hands on Sadie. And then we heard you cry out and she fought me for the gun and-" he broke off with a sob.

Gino sat next to him on the bed. "Hey, hey man, come on! Angela's one tough lady, okay? She'll pull through – and then we'll get your family back." He stood and strode over to their suitcases. "But we can't stay here any longer."

Tony sat up and stared at him. "Why?"

"The cops are on our tail now – the manager looked at me really long and hard when I came in just now so I think we'd better beat it, Tee." Gino zipped up the bag and turned back to smile at his boss. "Besides, I just happen to know which hospital Angela's in."

Tony leapt to his feet. "You do? How?"

Gino held up his hand. "I was getting my hand treated in the ER when the paramedics rushed her through – so all we have to do is bide our time. Those US Marshals will bring Sadie to visit her sooner or later and then we can make our move. We just have to be patient a little while longer."

Tony ran a hand through his hair shakily. "My trial's next week, Gee. I'm not leaving town without my family."

Gino clapped a hand on Tony's shoulder in reassurance. "You won't, man, you won't." _One way or another, _he silently vowed.

* * *

**A/N: Carmen's name before she entered the Witness Protection Program was Angela. Coming up: Sadie gives Mary a nickname - any guesses as to what it is? Reviews are L-O-V-E.**


	4. Grumpy

**I'd like to thank those of you who sent me PM's to let me know that my last chapter didn't load - I had no idea! But I only received 1 review for the chapter and I know there are more of you reading than that. So please don't forget to push the button at the end! Jayne - you were wondering about Detective Chaffee - well, as the only Sheriff in town she'll be in this chapter and the next one or two.**

* * *

As Mary drifted towards consciousness, she had the feeling she was being watched. Her hand crept under the pillow for her glock, but her questing fingers failed to find the cool, comforting metal. As the feeling grew stronger, her eyes flew open only to be met with the serious eyes of Sadie, standing next to the bed, still in pajamas though her hair was arranged in two perfect braids.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you it's not polite to stare?" Mary muttered into the mattress as she rolled over, away from the all-knowing eyes.

"Grumpy."

Mary opened one eye as Sadie came around the bed to stare down at her. "Is there something you wanted?"

Sadie nodded.

"Well?"

Sadie pointed to the clock and Mary tried to focus on the numbers: 8:05. She groaned and rolled onto her back.

"All right, all right, I'm up."

Sadie grinned. "Grumpy."

Marshall appeared in the bedroom doorway, a mug of coffee in his hand. "Yes, she is – especially before her morning coffee."

Mary sat up with a grimace and another groan. "That better be for me, partner. After only three hours of sleep, I'm going to be mainlining caffeine today."

Sadie flew to Marshall's side and wrapped her arms around his leg. He looked down at her and smiled. "Shower first, Mer. Coffee will be waiting with breakfast when you get out."

Mary threw back the covers and lunged for her partner. "Give me the coffee!"

Sadie let go of Marshall with a shriek and he moved backwards with the grace of a cat. "No, I know you. You'll drink this cup and crawl back under the covers for another two hours and we don't have that luxury this morning."

All the time he was delivering this speech, Mary was chasing him around the living room. When she finally caught him in the kitchen, she discovered that the mug was empty.

"What the fuck, Marshall?"

"Mary, language!" he hissed, his eyes darting towards Sadie, as he fought back the urge to laugh.

Mary sniffed the air, noticing for the first time that the house was empty of the lovely aroma of coffee. "You haven't even made any coffee yet, have you?"

"No, and I won't until you're in the shower." He crossed his arms in triumph.

"You are pure evil," she hissed as she stomped back down the hall towards the bathroom.

Sadie giggled. "Grumpy."

"You got that right, Sadie girl. So, what do you want for breakfast?"

* * *

When Mary stepped out of the shower and opened the bathroom door to let the steam escape, the lovely aroma of coffee assaulted her nose and made her stomach grumble in hunger. But what really made her mouth water was the smell of Marshall's famous bacon and eggs. She wiped the steam from the mirror and finger combed her hair back from her face, pausing as her eyes fell on her reflection. Her fingers came up and traced a bite mark along her left collarbone. _Why that little- He really is a tiger! I don't remember him biting me – it must have been when he-_ A faint flush spread across her skin as memories from last night before the shit hit the fan flashed across her mind. The fact that they were up to their necks in a witness crisis was probably the main reason she wasn't running for the hills. Although the fact that it was Marshall probably also had something to do with it.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she realized that Marshall was talking to someone in the kitchen – someone who wasn't Sadie. She cocked her head as she tried to identify the voice and when she finally identified it as Detective Abigail Chaffee, she tried to bite down on the jealousy that rose inside of her. The woman was a perky, annoying cheerleader who had had her eye on Marshall since she met them on a case nearly six months ago.

_Like she has a chance in hell with him, _Mary snorted as she pulled a tank top over her head, making sure the neckline didn't cover the love bite Marshall had given her. With a smirk of satisfaction, she padded on bare feet to get her coffee and morning progress report from APD.

* * *

"Would you care for a refill, Detective?"

"Please call me Abigail and I'd love another cup, thank you."

Marshall was in the process of refilling Abigail's cup when he saw Mary enter the kitchen. His eyes widened slightly at her casual attire and her cat that swallowed the cream expression. She sauntered into the kitchen and Marshall braced himself.

"That better not be the last of the coffee, Doofus."

Marshall grinned. "Are you kidding? I value my life too much to lose it over giving away the last cup of coffee."

"Good boy," she smiled back as she poured herself a cup. "So, Detective, any news about Tony Forelli or Gino Nicoletti?"

Abigail shook her head, her dark curls bouncing against her shoulders. "We've finished processing the crime scene and issued the APB for Tony right away. Marshall called me a few hours ago to issue one for Gino but so far – nothing."

Marshall set a plate of bacon and eggs in front of Mary. "I doubt he's left town, Abigail. Carmen and Sadie mean everything to Tony – now that he's found them again, he's not going to leave without them."

Abigail pursed her lips. "So shooting his wife was just, what, an accident?"

Mary stopped shoving food in her mouth long enough to say, "You don't think Carmen would have gone willingly, do you? Of course she struggled, and they fought for control of the gun."

"Or perhaps, love turned to hate and he decided to just get rid of his wife," Abigail argued.

"Excuse me, ladies," Marshall interjected. "But the only thing we can do is speculate on the events of last night until Carmen awakes up."

From the living room, Sadie cried, "Toodles!"

Off the women's puzzled looks, Marshall explained. "Sadie's watching Mickey Mouse Playhouse."

"What about Sadie – can't she-" Abigail asked.

Marshall shook his head as Mary laughed. "Good luck with that. Sadie's the quiet type – just the kind of kid I like."

He shot his partner a dark look even as he smiled at Abigail. "I really appreciate your stopping by this morning but we've got to get going."

"Oh, I understand," she nodded, draining the last dregs of coffee from her cup. "Maybe when this case is done, you and I could-"

Mary slammed her coffee cup on the counter, breaking the moment and causing the other woman to jump. Marshall bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling.

"I don't think so, Detective. Work keeps Marshall and I **very **busy."

"Oh, but surely you must need to eat sometime," Abigail batted her eyes.

Mary felt the blood rush to her head. "Listen here-"

Marshall laid a gentle hand on Mary's arm, his eyes reassuringly speaking to hers without words before he turned back to Abigail. "I'm flattered, Abigail. But I'm already in a committed relationship, sorry."

Abigail looked between the two partners, seeing for the first time the love bite on Mary's collar bone and the love light shining in Marshall's eyes when he looked at his partner. She shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well, the good ones are always taken. I'll show myself out."

"No, I'll see you to the door."

Mary watched Marshall leave the kitchen and felt herself deflate with every step he took. She had no idea where all that possessiveness had come from and it had honestly scared the hell out of her. She had never felt that way with her ex-husband Mark or Raph. Both men had flirted with other women from time to time to try to make her jealous but she had never felt this desperate all-consuming desire to scratch someone's eyes out before. What was happening to her? She angrily put her plate into the sink and began to rinse the grease off.

She jumped slightly when she felt Marshall's arms snake around her from behind and pull her against his chest. "Retract those claws, my little hell cat. Don't you understand by now that I've only ever had eyes for you?"

A delicious shiver went through her at his words and she turned in his arms to wrap her own around his neck. "Don't try to distract me – you were flirting with that Texas cheerleader, Marshall."

"And you were jealous," he shot back with a smirk. His eyes drifted down to her neck and narrowed when he saw the bite mark there. "I wasn't flirting, I was being a gentleman. And you've no reason to be jealous when you're the one with my mark on your neck."

Mary grinned up at him wolfishly. "Think Nancy Drew noticed?"

He rolled his eyes as he fingered the low neckline of her tank top, watching as goose bumps rose on her flesh. "Wasn't that the point of you wearing this?"

Their playful banter was interrupted by both of their phones going off. Marshall dropped his hands reluctantly.

"That's Stan – we've got to go. And you've got to change before we head in."

"First things first." Mary hooked her index fingers in Marshall's belt loops and pulled him back into her, sighing in satisfaction as their mouths fused together, and his hands tangled in her still damp hair. When she pulled away, her chest heaving from a lack of air, she breathed against his lips, "That may be an even better way to start the morning than coffee."

"Kissy kissy."

The partners turned as one to see Sadie standing within arms' reach, blowing them kisses. Marshall laughed and lunged for her, causing Sadie to shriek and run for the bedroom as Mary picked up her phone to call Stan and tell him they were on their way in.

* * *

As Marshall, Mary, and Sadie got off the elevator outside their office, Marshall was just hoping that they could make it through the day without any more crises. Sadie was holding tightly to his hand and even after the horrors of last night she had managed to get a decent amount of sleep, if one discounted the attempted kidnapping and shooting.

Of course there had been nightmares. Marshall had just dropped into a light doze at the safe house when Sadie's screams had shattered the silence of the early morning hours. Fearing another break-in, he had grabbed his gun before running into the spare room. But Sadie had been alone, and still asleep, locked in the terror of a nightmare. Once he had awakened her and soothed her fears, she refused to sleep without him, so Marshall had carried her back to the master bedroom where the two of them had collapsed into a deep sleep for the first time. She had had another one just before Mary arrived at the house at five, and then the three of them had snuggled back into bed together.

Marshall snapped back to the present as the door buzzed and Mary pushed it, holding it open for all of them. "On your toes, partner," she whispered as Alison Pierce approached them from Stan's office.

"Marshall, Mary," Alison greeted. "Aren't you supposed to be on vacation?"

Mary locked her jaw to keep from gritting her teeth. "I don't do vacations."

"Hm, well then, perhaps you can explain why you were with Marshall last night?"

Mary arched an eyebrow. "We hang out after work sometimes, we're friends. We're also partners. I wasn't going to let him go over there alone."

"So you were at his house? At two in the morning?" Alison asked in disbelief.

"Her house is being fumigated," Marshall interjected. "She spent the night in my guest room."

Alison looked between the two of them, not sure if she believed it, but knowing she didn't have any reason to doubt them. "I see. Well, we still don't know how Carmen was compromised. Are you sure she didn't contact anyone from New York?"

"She didn't have any family and very few friends. I don't think she'd risk Sadie's safety to contact anyone back there," Marshall shook his head.

"Dr. Finkel will be here at ten to talk to Sadie and I'm assuming you'll be the one to sit in with her, Marshall?"

He nodded.

"Fine, then I want you, Mary, and Charlie to get back over to Carmen's and look for possible security breaches."

Mary gritted her teeth but nodded. "Where's Stan?"

"He's at the hospital with Carmen, taking his turn at the protection detail."

"Mama?" Sadie spoke for the first time since they came into the office.

Alison looked down, frowning as she noticed the little girl. She crouched down to be at her eye level and Sadie shrank against Marshall's side, peeking at the older woman from behind his leg. "Your mama's a strong woman, Sadie. She's going to be fine."

Sadie watched Alison walk away, her heels making a sharp clicking sound on the tiles. She frowned and looked up at Marshall. "She's mean."

Mary burst out laughing. "You got that right, kiddo."

Marshall groaned. "Don't encourage her, Mer."

"But she's right – Alison's a mean b-"

"Mary!"

She shrugged helplessly. "Anyway, thanks for saving our bacon - but now I have to call an exterminator for my house! 'Cause you know Alison's going to check up on your story."

He smiled. "Didn't you tell me a couple of weeks ago that you had an ant infestation? I was just trying to help you out."

"Hey Mary, you ready to go?" Charlie came bounding up to them, as fresh faced as if he had gotten a full night's sleep.

"You owe me," Mary shot her partner a death glare.

He held up his hands in defense. "Hey, if you want to stay and get your head shrunk with Dr. Shelley and be the adult advocate for Sadie, then-"

Mary paled and beat a hasty retreat towards the door. "Let's go, kid."

Sadie looked up in confusion. "Me?"

Marshall laughed and pointed at Charlie. "No, him."

* * *

"Hi Sadie. My name is Dr. Finkel, but you can call me Shelley, okay?"

Sadie nodded but continued to swing her legs back and forth, her eyes sweeping the conference room, and one hand firmly held in Marshall's lap.

"So Sadie, I understand that you've just moved to Albuquerque from New York, is that right?"

Again Sadie nodded.

"With your mom?"

Another nod.

"Where's your dad?"

Sadie's eyes fell to the floor and her legs stopped swinging. "Home."

Shelley frowned. "Home? Where's that? Here in Albuquerque or in New York?"

Sadie started swinging her legs again but kept her eyes on the floor as she repeated, "Home."

Silence fell in the room for a few minutes and finally Marshall spoke. "Did you read her file?"

Shelley looked offended. "Of course I did, Marshall."

"Well then, you know that Sadie has limited speech capabilities, though her mother as well as her day care and preschool teachers believes her mind to be very sharp. It's not going to be easy to discover what happened last night without asking direct questions."

"I can't put the answers in her mouth, Marshall," Shelley shook her head. "Sadie?"

Sadie focused for the first time on Shelley and the woman smiled in reassurance.

"What happened last night?"

Sadie shrank away from the question, tucking herself further into Marshall's side and he put his arm around her.

"That was too abrupt and she doesn't have the words to tell you – you're going to have to break it down, Shelley."

Shelley pursed her lips in annoyance before she said, "Sadie, where were you when your dad and Gino came to your house last night?"

The words were whispered, "Bed, sleep."

Shelley nodded in encouragement. "You were sleeping?"

Sadie nodded.

"Who woke you up?"

"Gino."

Shelley was making notes. "Not your daddy?"

Sadie shook her head and repeated, "Gino."

"What did he say?"

Marshall opened his mouth to protest again but Shelley silenced him with a look. Sadie was thinking hard, chewing on her lower lip, her eyebrows knit together in concentration.

"Gino say time to go home," Sadie said with a small smile of triumph and Marshall gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"What did you say?"

"NO!" the word burst out of Sadie and set her trembling in his arms. It was like she was caught in one of her nightmares again. Marshall gathered her into his lap and began to rock her back and forth, murmuring soothing words in her ear. Shelley watched the exchange with interest and continued to take notes.

When the storm subsided a bit, Marshall stood with Sadie still cradled in his arms. "We're done."

"Just a few more questions, Marshall."

"Shelley, she's been through hell and most of it is locked inside of her because she can't express it in words."

"And she needs to get it out as soon as possible – sit down, Inspector," Shelley ordered.

With a sigh of frustration, Marshall resumed his seat.

"No, Star," Sadie whimpered.

"Star?" Shelley asked.

Marshall gestured to the badge on his hip. "Sadie's nickname for me – she saw my badge the first day and the name stuck. It's easier for her to say than Marshall, I guess."

"She seems pretty attached to you."

He looked at her in disbelief. "She's a four year old child that's been through a terrible ordeal, first losing a father and then the living nightmare last night. She's just clinging to the little bit of familiarity in her life."

"Is she? What about you?"

"What about me?"

"You seem pretty attached as well."

"Did you miss the fact that she's a little girl? How could I not be?"

Sadie lifted her face from his shoulder. "Star, Sadie go."

"Sadie girl, Shelley has a couple more questions for you, okay?" He felt the resistance in her little body. "I know you don't want to, but it will help - not just you but your mom too."

"Mama?"

He nodded.

"Ok." Sadie turned around on Marshall's lap and looked at Shelley with such a serious, piercing gaze that Shelley shifted uncomfortably.

"Sadie, what happened after you told Gino you didn't want to go back to New York?"

Marshall felt her begin to shake again and he held her closer. Sadie was quiet for so long he wondered if she was going to answer but she finally whispered two words, "Pick up."

Shelley frowned and looked at Marshall in confusion. "Gino had a pickup truck?"

Sadie shook her head and said, "Pick up Sadie."

Marshall added, "Gino picked you up?"

Sadie looked up at him and nodded.

The tic appeared in Marshall's jaw again. "Gino was taking you somewhere?"

Sadie whispered, "Car."

"Did you and Gino make it to the car?" Shelley asked.

Sadie shook her head.

"Why not?"

"Bite Gino."

Shelley nearly dropped her pen in shock. "You bit Gino?"

Sadie nodded. "Drop Sadie. Sadie ran."

Marshall was trying not to laugh but inside he couldn't be more proud of Sadie. He was sure this spunky fireball in his lap had put up quite a fight: clawing, kicking, scratching, screaming, and finally biting so that Gino was forced to drop her. He couldn't believe that there wasn't some Mary Shannon blood running through her veins. _That's my girl, _he breathed silently as he dropped a kiss on her dark head.

"Where did you bite Gino?" Shelley couldn't help asking.

Sadie bit her lower lip again in concentration before picking up Marshall's hand. She grabbed the fleshy part between his thumb and forefinger with a smile before dropping it back to his lap. Marshall could see the whole scene now: Gino must have clamped a hand over Sadie's mouth to deaden her screams but it had backfired when she bit the fleshy part of his hand.

"I see," Shelley nodded, making some more notes. "And where were your mom and dad while all this was going on?"

Sadie turned and burrowed into Marshall's shirt, her sobs shaking her slight body, as he got to his feet again.

"We're done," he repeated, as he strode from the room, cradling Sadie in his arms.

* * *

**Well, what did y'all think of Sadie's nickname for Mary? And of our girl putting Abigail in her place where Marshall's concerned? Fasten your seat belts, readers, it's about to get bumpy from here. Reviews are L-O-V-E!**


	5. Wicked Witch

"So last night was a kidnapping gone wrong?"

Shelley nodded. "From the limited information I could get out of Sadie, she was awakened in the middle of the night by Gino, who told her he was there to take her back to New York City. She told him no, and in the process of carrying her out to the car, Sadie fought back and bit him on the hand."

Stan chuckled. "Sounds like something Mary would do." He cleared his throat. "She didn't say anything about seeing her father or what happened to Carmen?"

"No – and when I pushed, she completely broke down. Marshall said the session was over, that Sadie had been through enough."

Stan nodded. "I quite agree."

Shelley took a deep breath before continuing. "But it is my professional opinion that Sadie mostly likely witnessed her mother's shooting. Something drove her into hiding –"

"You don't think the fact that Gino was probably chasing her was enough of a threat for her to hide?"

Shelley shrugged. "Perhaps – but the severity of Sadie's reaction when I asked where her parents were leads me to believe that she witnessed most if not all of last night's events."

"Dear God, I hope not, for her sake," Stan breathed.

For a moment, Shelley didn't say anything as she consulted her notes, wondering if she should mention the other issue she had taken note of during the session. But Alison Pierce was watching her like a hawk from the other end of the conference table and she knew that she really didn't have a choice. "There is one other issue of concern that I should mention. It's also my professional opinion that Inspector Mann has lost his objectivity on this case."

Stan leveled a serious look at the doctor. "Dr. Finkel, witnesses are not 'cases', and you were called in to help us find out what happened last night, not conduct a psych profile on one of my inspectors behind my back."

"I asked Dr. Finkel to observe the interactions between Marshall and Sadie during the session and report any concerns to us," Alison spoke up from the other end of the conference table.

Stan rubbed a hand across his forehead to ward off a headache. "Why?"

"Because we've had a serious breach of security-"

"You cannot be implying that one of my inspectors-"

Alison held up a hand. "Please let me finish, all right? We've had a serious breach of security and it's my top priority to find out where that leak came from – and to make sure that your inspectors are operating at the top of their game."

"Of course they are," Stan defended.

"Really? You've got one inspector who refuses to take her banked vacation time-"

"Some people would call that dedication to their job."

Alison silenced Stan with a look as she motioned to the view outside the conference room where Marshall was making origami stars with Sadie. "And Marshall is acting more like a surrogate father than a senior WitSec inspector."

Stan could feel the vein above his right eye beginning to throb. "Marshall is the most caring, dedicated inspector I've ever had the opportunity to work with. It wouldn't surprise me if one day he was running this office. I really don't understand where all this concern is coming from, Alison."

"He's too close to this one, Stan. We need to relocate Sadie now so that when Carmen wakes up, she can join her daughter-"

"Wait, what?" Stan exclaimed. "You want to send Sadie away before Carmen wakes up – just in case she and Marshall might be forming some sort of father-daughter bond? Don't you think that's a little extreme?"

"No, Stan, I don't. Moving Sadie to a new location will ensure her safety from her father once again. Marshall can focus on finding the security leak and Carmen's protection detail."

"I don't think this is a good idea – Marshall's going to have a big problem with relocating Sadie without Carmen, not to mention the fact that he won't be going with her."

"Well, it's a good thing he doesn't have a say in the matter then, isn't it?" Alison said smugly. "The WitSec team from the Denver office will be here in the morning. So, shall we call him in?"

Stan could think of ten other things he would rather do than tell Marshall this news – but he also knew he didn't have a choice either. He pressed the intercom button on his phone and waited.

"Hey chief, what's up?"

"Could you step into the conference room for a minute – without Sadie?"

Marshall's eyes met Stan's through the glass, picking up more in his boss' tone of voice than the older man wanted him to. "I'll be right in."

* * *

Mary took one look at her partner's face when he stepped out of the conference room and knew that he was ready to explode. She could count on one hand over their seven year partnership the number of times he had every truly lost his temper and it had always been over a witness and always justified. She was the loose cannon in their partnership– Marshall let things slide off his back until she seriously wondered if he was part duck.

But now as she watched him strut from the conference room across the floor to the balcony without acknowledging Sadie's calls for him to rejoin her paper doll party, she knew that his anger was barely being held in check.

"Hey Kid!" she bellowed across the office space and waited for Charlie to come running, which he did. "Why don't you take Sadie into the kitchenette and have a soda?"

"But I still have all those-"

Mary kicked him under the desk and Charlie winced. "Sure thing. Come on, Sadie, are you thirsty?"

Sadie nodded and eagerly went with Charlie. Mary wasted no time in slipping out to the balcony. Marshall was leaning against the wall looking out at the city, but he heard the door and her approach.

"Not now, Mer, please. I'm not-"

She hopped onto the short wall and looked into his troubled eyes, taking note of the tic in his jaw. "Tell me."

"A team is coming from Denver to relocate Sadie tomorrow."

Mary's mouth fell open. "What – why?"

"Because I'm too close to her – or rather she's too close to me. Alison Pierce says I need to focus on finding the security leak and protecting Carmen – not being a father to a four year old little girl."

Mary heard the bitter hurt and anguish in his voice and she wanted nothing more than to comfort him. But she knew she couldn't comfort him the way she wanted to at the office – not with Stan and Alison watching. And how could she tell him that a small part of her thought they were right? Yes, Sadie was his witness but not his child. After Carmen gave her testimony, they would be relocated and Sadie would go with her because she was her daughter, not his.

Marshall frowned when he saw Mary chewing her bottom lip, not saying anything. He took a step back and whispered. "You think they're right – you think I'm too close."

"No, I-"

"Yes, you do. Mary, don't lie to me. It's written all over your face –" He turned away from her and started to head back inside.

She stepped around in front of him to block his path. "Don't you dare put words in my mouth, Marshall Mann! Now you listen to me. You know I'm no good with the kids – which is why Stan gives you the single parent witnesses. And you seem to have a special way with the kids while remaining objective. But you've got to admit that Carmen and Sadie have gotten under your skin. I don't know why – maybe it's the fact that Sadie's a little more vulnerable than the rest?"

Mary paused and waited for a response from him and Marshall sighed, turning back to look out at the view. "I made a promise, Mer."

"What kind of promise – to Carmen?"

He nodded. "I promised that I would take care of Sadie – like she was my own."

"Oh Marshall," Mary breathed, the pain now evident in her voice as well. "Why did you do that?"

He shrugged. "She caught me in a particularly weak moment, I guess. You rejected me, Faber called to gloat he was going on vacation with you," he paused to clear his throat. "It had been a particularly crappy work week. And then Carmen asked me to Sadie's fourth birthday party. I spent the early evening over there playing games, being silly, and making a little girl laugh harder than she ever has in her entire life. At the end of the evening, Carmen asked me to stay with Sadie when she went to testify next week – to take care of her like she was my own-" he trailed off.

"Marshall, you know that we can't become personally involved with our witnesses-" Mary said gently, laying her hand on his arm.

He jerked back from her touch as if she had burned him. "You're one to talk! What about Leo? That's one kid you didn't have trouble connecting with – and you certainly got personally involved with him. I remember a conversation where you told me you didn't think you could let him go-"

"But I did!"

"And I'll let Sadie go too – when the time is right. Sending her to Denver when her mother is in the hospital fighting for her life isn't the right time, Mer. She's been through a terrible trauma and yanking her away from a place that she's just starting to call home-"

"Sadie go away?"

Both partners turned at the sound of the Sadie's voice to see the little girl standing in the doorway, with a sheepish looking Charlie behind her.

"We've got to put a bell around her neck," Mary whispered to Marshall.

"I'm sorry, Inspectors, I could have sworn she was sitting at Marshall's desk. I had to get something from my desk and-"

"It's all right, Charlie," Marshall said. "I need to talk to Sadie anyway."

Sadie flew to Marshall's side, wrapping her arms around his leg. "Star go too?"

Mary began backing away. "I think I'll just check my email and I'm sure there are some files to catch up on."

Marshall looked at her briefly, his eyes unnaturally bright. "Coward."

"Guilty," she nodded.

Marshall scooped Sadie into his arms and strode over to patio table. "Let's sit down, Sadie girl. This could take awhile to explain."

* * *

For an active four year old girl, Sadie sat unnaturally still and snuggled into Marshall's chest and let him talk. Her fingers played with the origami star he had made earlier that morning but otherwise the only motion was the rise and fall of her small chest as she breathed in and out. Eventually Marshall ran out of words and the silence stretched between them. He had just wondered if Sadie had fallen asleep when she spoke.

"No. Sadie stay with Star. Sadie safe with Star."

Marshall swallowed the lump in his throat. "You will be safe with these new inspectors too."

Sadie began to shake against his chest. "Star go too."

"I need to stay here and take care of your mom, Sadie girl."

"Sadie stay with Grumpy."

Marshall's eyebrows scrunched in confusion before he realized that she was talking about Mary. He smiled as he flipped a braid over her shoulder. "No, Sadie-"

"Marshall?" Stan stuck his head out the balcony door. "Sorry to interrupt but I need to talk to you for a minute."

Mary appeared and held out her hand. "Come on, kiddo. Let's go get some lunch."

Sadie looked up at Marshall and he gave her a reassuring squeeze. She slid off his lap and took Mary's hand, saying, "Okay, Grumpy."

Mary's eyes flew to Marshall's with a frown as they left and he bit back a grin.

Stan shut the door and slowly approached the table where Marshall was still sitting, tense as a coiled spring.

"I just wanted to let you know that it wasn't my idea-"

Marshall sighed and some of the tension left his body. "I know that, Stan. This idea had Alison stamped all over it – and I know that you didn't have any more of a say in the matter than I did."

"No, Marshall, I didn't."

"That doesn't mean that I don't think this is a shitty plan to fuck up a little girl that has already seen and been through more in her short life than most adults."

Stan's mouth fell open at Marshall's use of profanity. It was rare that his mild-mannered, unflappable inspector got so worked up. Perhaps Alison had a point. Perhaps Marshall had lost some objectivity on this case.

Marshall had begun to pace while Stan was lost in his thoughts. "I know that Alison, Dr. Finkel, you, and even my own partner think that I've become too personally involved in Carmen and Sadie's case – and maybe I have. But how could I not? Sadie only has her mother – and now that Carmen is fighting for her life, the only people Sadie knows are her WitSec inspectors. If you and Alison are so concerned about my objectivity, I'm begging you, Stan. Let Mary or Charlie accompany her to Denver with the new team. At least then Sadie will have someone familiar with her-"

"I'll take it under advisement, Inspector."

Both men whirled at the sound of Alison's voice. The woman was leaning in the doorway to the balcony and neither of them had any idea how long she had been there or how much she had overheard.

"This was a private conversation, Alison," Stan frowned at her.

Alison raised a penciled eyebrow. "Then you should have had it in your office behind closed doors instead of outdoors in a public place." She cleared her throat. "The hospital just called. I'm afraid Carmen's condition has worsened."

Marshall felt like the air had all been taken from his lungs. "What happened?"

"The doctors had to put her on a respirator and she's being monitored closely in case she throws a blood clot. Her status has been updated from serious to critical."

Marshall gripped the railing of the low wall until his knuckles turned white. Carmen had to pull through, for Sadie. He couldn't imagine having to tell that sweet, little girl that her mother was gone.

As if from a great distance, he felt someone shaking his shoulders. "Marshall! Marshall! Snap out of it!"

He focused on his boss' concerned face. "I'm fine, Stan. Were you trying to ask me something?"

"Do you think this was Tony's plan all along – to silence his wife so she couldn't testify against him?"

Marshall was shaking his head before Stan even finished the question. "No, I don't think so. Everything Carmen's told me leads me to believe that Tony's madly in love with her and wants his family back together. I really think that her getting shot last night was an accident."

Stan studied his inspector for a long minute before he nodded. "Okay, you know your witnesses, Marshall, so I'm inclined to believe you until Carmen wakes up and tells us differently."

"I also heard from the Denver office," Alison added. "Chris and Michelle will be here at noon tomorrow for Sadie."

The tic was back in Marshall's jaw as he answered. "Fine."

"Have you talked to Sadie yet?"

"It's been taken care of, Ms. Pierce," Marshall ground out between clenched teeth.

"Good." Alison pivoted on her heel and went back inside.

Marshall let out a strangled groan and dashed a hand through his hair. "My partner's right," he muttered. "She is one mean bitch."

* * *

**A/N: What is up with Alison? Coming up: Carmen's life is in danger at the hospital. Reviews are L-O-V-E!**


	6. Another Surprise Visit

"Stan, Marshall needs sleep! Isn't there something you can do?" Mary demanded, as she leaned over his desk.

Stan sighed as he reached for his bottle of Maalox that he kept in his bottom drawer and took a swig, waiting for the heartburn to subside. "My hands are tied, Mary. Alison Pierce is running this show – haven't you figured that out by now? And I have a feeling that her superiors are riding her ass to make sure nothing else goes wrong before Tony's trial."

Mary pushed off from Stan's desk, a look of disbelief on her face. "Are you fucking kidding me? You're already relocating a scared child away from her unconscious mother who she may never see again this side of the pearly gates!"

"Bite your tongue, Inspector!" Stan growled as he took another swig of his antacid. "I feel just as bad about that as you do-"

"Then let me go with her to Denver."

Stan set the now empty bottle down on his desk with a resounding thud. "You? The woman who wants me to shoot her if she ever has children?"

"I believe my exact words were to shoot me if I ever have **three** children, Stan," Mary corrected him with the ghost of a smile flitting across her face.

Stan chuckled. "What's brought on the sudden change of heart?"

"I'm doing this for my partner-"

Stan raised his eyebrows.

"Okay, I also really want to stick it to Alison."

Her boss chuckled again. "That's our girl. I'll see what I can do, all right? But you'll need to buy me another bottle of this stuff." He waved his empty bottle of Maalox at her.

Mary grinned as she rounded the desk and kissed the top of his head. "You're the man, Stan!"

He made a shooing motion at her. "Go on, get out of here. Marshall's shift at the hospital doesn't start until nine, so why don't you all go back to the safe house and catch some sleep? I'll send Charlie over to help watch Sadie tonight."

Mary groaned. "Seriously, Stan, I think I can guard one kid."

"Don't you want to get some sleep tonight? Besides, Alison got the footage from the Santa Fe airport, bus and train stations that she wants both of you to go over."

Mary rolled her eyes as she headed for the door. "Sounds like a night of the worse reality TV ever."

* * *

As Mary set the last plate in dish rack to drip dry, she cocked her head to listen in the direction of the bedrooms. Right after ice cream sundaes, Sadie had brushed her teeth and gotten into her pajamas. She then reappeared in the kitchen demanding a story before bed.

"Leave the dishes, Mer, I'll do them when I'm done."

She shook her head as she reached up and kissed him quickly. "No, you cooked, I clean."

"I could get used to this."

Mary swatted his butt as Sadie tugged on Marshall's free hand. "Star, story – no kissy kissy."

The sound of Marshall's voice provided a nice background as she washed their dishes. His voice was animated as he made different voices and sound effects for characters and Sadie giggled in response. Mary smiled as she realized anew what a wonderful father he would make someday.

But when she set the last plate down and noticed how long it had been since she had heard his voice, she grew concerned. Walking softly down the hall on bare feet, she peeked around the slightly open door and into the room. The sight that met her eyes made Mary smile and did funny things to her stomach – warm, fuzzy things that she had never experienced before. Sadie was fast asleep under the covers, curled up on her side, her dark curls spread across the pillow. Marshall was sitting up, his arm around Sadie, and his chin on his chest as it rose and fell slowly in sleep. On impulse, Mary grabbed her cell phone from her back pocket and took a picture before crossing the floor to drop to her knees beside the bed.

"Marshall?" she whispered, reaching up and brushing his hair back from his forehead, her pulse quickening as he leaned into her touch.

"Mer?" he murmured sleepily, his eyes opening and trying to focus on her. "What's going on?"

"You fell asleep reading to Sadie."

"I did?" he looked down to see Sadie sleeping peacefully. "I guess I did."

"Come on. Let's go to bed – you still have time for a nap before you have to be at the hospital."

She lifted his arm gently and then took his hands, pulling him up from the bed, and leading him from the room.

As soon as he closed Sadie's door, Marshall wrapped his arms around Mary's waist, pulling her against him. They continued walking down the hall in tandem, his front to her back. "Only if you take one with me."

Mary glanced back at him. "Sleeping with you is not what I had in mind."

Marshall kicked their bedroom door shut. "I know, but we can't- we're working-"

She spun around in his hold and captured his mouth with hers, pushing her tongue inside. Her hands slid up inside his wife beater and she moaned in satisfaction when she felt his erection spring to life between them.

Marshall gently pushed her away. "Mer – we can't. Sadie-"

"-is asleep," Mary finished, as she pecked at his lips. "We have a police car cruising the neighborhood every fifteen minutes and the house has a state of the art alarm system. I think we have time for a quickie."

"What if a quickie is not what I had in mind?"

The funny, fuzzy feelings were back in Mary's stomach. "Does that mean I've convinced you?"

He picked her up and tossed her onto the bed. She watched with wide eyes as he crawled up her body, his eyes alighting on the mark on her neck. He brought his fingers up to trace it. "You know, it's a good thing you covered this up today or else there would have been a lot of questions."

"I could have come up with a cover story."

"Like Faber gave it to you?" he growled.

In a swift move, Mary rolled them over, pinning Marshall to the bed. "I would never have given Faber credit for this – you are – we are-" she stuttered to a stop.

He cupped her face. "I know."

She leaned down and started to kiss his skin. "How about I give you a bite this time?"

He chuckled. "You haven't seen my back, have you?"

She pulled back. "No, why?"

"Because, my little hell cat, you did mark me – mine just aren't as visible as yours."

"Roll over," she demanded as she scooted off his lap.

With a devilish gleam in his eye, Marshall complied and she stared at the red streaks that ran from his shoulder blades to his lower back.

"Wow," she breathed, as she gently traced them with her finger tips. "Do they sting?"

"No," he whispered, shivering under her light touch, as he flipped over again. "Does my bite hurt?"

She shook her head. "To be honest, I didn't even notice you'd bitten me until I saw it in the mirror this morning." She swung her leg back over his hip, straddling his lower body. "I wouldn't mind one on the other side to match it."

Marshall's eyes narrowed dangerously as his hands slid under her tank top, pulling it up and over her head in on swift motion. "I thought you wanted me to take a nap."

She lay down, pressing their upper bodies together. "Are you sleepy?"

He rolled and pinned her beneath him, lacing their fingers together. "Not anymore."

* * *

Mary disengaged herself from Marshall's arms with a sigh as she noticed the time. Picking up his dress shirt from the floor, she buttoned it quickly before leaning over and whispering in his ear, "Wake up, partner. Charlie will be here soon and unless you want him to find you sleeping in the nude-" she reared back with a giggle as his eyes flew open.

His eyes moved about the room, disoriented by the lack of sunlight in the room. "What time is it?"

"Almost 8:30 – you have time for a quick shower if you get up now."

He pulled her back into his arms and ever so slowly started to unbutton his shirt that she was wearing. "I can think of a much better way to spend the next ten minutes," he said huskily.

Mary ran her fingers into his hair but just before their lips met, Mary's phone beeped on the nightstand. Marshall buried his face in her collar bone with a moan as she blindly reached for it, reading the display in the darkened room.

"Charlie's here. You want to put on some pants and answer the door or jump in the shower?"

Marshall raised his head to look her in the eye. "I think you better hit the shower, Mer."

"Really, why?"

"Because you look freshly fucked, Sunshine, and you have a matching bite on the other side of your neck."

Mary's hand flew to her collar bone, tracing the fresh mark with her fingers. With a growl, she pressed her lips to his, nearly knocking them both back onto the bed.

Just then, Charlie knocked on the front door and called out, "Hello, inspectors! It's me, Charlie!"

Marshall sighed and pushed her away, reached for his boxers, and slipped from the bed.

"Don't forget this," Mary said, throwing his wife beater at his head when he turned towards her. "You have your own marks to cover up, remember?"

* * *

The scene that greeted Marshall when he arrived at the hospital was all too reminiscent of the one from a year ago when Mary was shot. Carmen was pale and still, hooked up to a heart monitor and respirator, both machines beeping and whirring and displaying numbers and recording vital stats. He collapsed in the uncomfortable plastic chair next to her bed and tried not to think about the fact that he had failed another witness.

He had brought his Kindle fire and for awhile he read aloud to Carmen from the classic he was currently reading: _The Great Gatsby_. Whenever he found himself getting sleepy, he would get up and walk around the room, poke his head outside the door to check in with the police officer, or text Mary. She told him that Sadie was still sleeping soundly and that Charlie was driving her crazy.

Around two-thirty, Abigail walked into the room, startling Marshall out of a sleepy stupor.

"You look exhausted."

He shrugged. "I could use some sleep, but I'll manage."

"Want some coffee? I was going to grab a cup for Mason." She jerked a thumb towards the officer in the doorway.

"That would be great, thanks."

Abigail smiled. "I'll be right back."

As she left the room, she passed a janitor coming in. "I'm just collecting the trash," he murmured, keeping his head down.

Marshall motioned to the can in the corner, not moving from the chair as he kept a watchful eye on the man. He had a name badge and Marshall knew that all employees had been screened by the police but something was setting the alarm bells off in his brain.

Marshall frowned in concentration as he looked the man up and down, finally focusing on the bandage on the man's right hand. A chill went up his spine as he noticed that the janitor was edging closer and closer to the other side of Carmen's bed. Moving quickly and quietly, Marshall rounded the bed and pressed his gun into the man's ribs.

"Drop it, Gino," he whispered in the man's ear.

Gino stiffened, the garbage can still held in his hands.

"Nice and slow- let me see your hands."

Gino swung the can up and around, aiming for Marshall's head but he had been ready for the attack and easily dodged. The syringe in Gino's bandaged hand was a surprise that he had not been expecting and as the needle grazed his arm he prayed it didn't contain poison.

The crash of the metal can hitting the floor alerted the officer outside the door and he charged into the room.

"Freeze!"

Gino's face twisted in a snarl as Marshall cuffed him and Abigail reappeared on the scene.

"What the hell happened?"

"Gino paid Carmen a surprise visit," Marshall explained as he picked up the syringe. "And I don't think it was going to be an accident this time."

Abigail frowned. "What's in it?"

"Nothing, it's empty. My guess is, he was going to inject an air bubble into Carmen's IV line. Is that right, Gino?"

Gino stared blankly at the wall from where he was chained to a chair in the hallway, waiting for police transport to APD.

"Stan's on the way – he'll meet you at the station," Marshall told Abigail.

"Does this mean the protection detail is over?"

Marshall shook his head. "No – Tony is still out there." He turned back to Gino. "Where is he, Gino? Where's Tony?"

Gino turned his head and looked at Marshall for several moments before a slow grin spread across his face. "Well, let me ask you a question, Inspector. Where's Sadie?"

Marshall felt a chill run down his spine. "Oh my God," he whispered, as he grabbed his cell and dialed Mary's.

It went straight to voicemail.

"Abigail, can Mason stay here with Carmen until someone from our office gets back? I've got to-"

She was already waving him on while glaring in suspicion at Gino. "Go, Marshall, I swear I won't let this guy out of my sight until the feds show up."

* * *

Mary's left eyelid had been twitching for the last hour – a sure sign that she hadn't gotten enough sleep in the past thirty-six hours. She rubbed her eye, something that didn't escape the notice of the young, fresh-faced Inspector pouring over the video feed next to her.

"Why don't you get some shut eye, Inspector Shannon? I'll wake you if I find anything."

She frowned as she looked at Charlie, hardly remembering when she was that young and eager. Had she ever been? She knew she had never been that innocent and naïve – Poppa James had taken care of that. But surely early on in her career she had been full of energy and life and youth – eager to please, and seeking approval from her superiors.

Mary snorted. _Yeah, right. I must be more tired than I thought. _

"If you don't mind – I'll take you up on that. But wake me in a couple of hours – I don't want you pouring over these videos all night. You need some sleep too."

Charlie lifted his coffee mug. "Okay – but really, I don't need much sleep."

Mary shook her head as she went down the hall to check one more time on Sadie. Cracking the door open, she peeked inside to see that Sadie had kicked off her covers. As quietly as possible, she covered the little girl back up and smoothed some hair back from her face.

"Mama," Sadie murmured in her sleep.

"Shh," Mary whispered. "Go back to sleep, kiddo."

Sadie snuggled back into her pillow and Mary padded down the hall to the other room. The bed seemed big and empty without Marshall. She stripped down to her tank top and underwear, and climbing underneath the covers, she clutched Marshall's pillow to her chest, breathing in his scent.

It felt like ten minutes later when Mary was jolted awake by the alarm going off and gunshots from the living room.

"Shit! Sadie!" she cried, as she bolted from bed, reaching for her gun as she ran for the door. "Charlie?"

She cracked the door open and peered into the hallway, trying to get a view of what was going on in the rest of the house. "Charlie?" she called again and waited for a response.

"I've come for my daughter, Inspector."

_Damn it! Where's Charlie? _"She doesn't want to go with you, Tony, especially after you shot her mother." Mary's eyes darted around the hallway and into the living room, trying to get a location on Tony. If only she could pinpoint where he was, she could dash into Sadie's room. But she didn't want to give away the girl's location – and Sadie was smart enough to stay hidden.

"That was an accident."

Mary snorted. "I don't think Carmen or Sadie see it that way."

"Her name is Angela!" Tony yelled and poked his head around the corner into the hallway from the kitchen.

Mary's eyes met his for the first time. "Where's Charlie? Where's the young man that was in the living room?"

Tony's eyes darted nervously around the room. "He – he left."

Mary stepped into the hallway, her gun aimed at Tony's heart. "Where is he?"

"It was an accident."

Mary's heart was in her throat. "What was an accident?"

She took a couple of steps down the hall, towards Tony. "I didn't mean to do it. He told me that I was under arrest. All I want is my daughter and-"

"Mary! Mary!" Marshall came crashing through the front door. "Are you all right?" his eyes landed on her in relief, his body language relaxing slightly. He turned back to Tony. "Drop your gun, Tony."

As the gun hit the floor, Marshall moved to cuff Tony. "Where's Charlie?"

In a strangled voice, Mary whispered. "Over here."

Marshall turned to see her kneeling on the other side of the couch. When she lifted her face to his, it was twisted in grief and he felt a knife go through his heart.

"He's dead, Marshall." She turned accusing eyes to Tony who just kept murmuring:

"It was an accident. All I wanted was my daughter."

* * *

**A/N: My first cliffhanger - how can I be so cruel ;) Let me know if y'all want more by pushing that little button! Reviews are L-O-V-E!**


	7. The third man

"Inspector Shannon! Wake up, I found them!"

Mary flew up in the bed, still clutching Marshall's pillow to her chest, her heart pounding as she heard Charlie's voice coming through the closed door. Grabbing her jeans from the floor, she called to him,

"I'm awake, Charlie. Come in."

The door opened and he poked his head in only to quickly withdraw at her state of undress. She rolled her eyes as she finished pulling up her jeans. "Charlie, it's not like I'm naked-"

"I'll just wait for you out here."

She heard the sound of his rapidly retreating footsteps and couldn't help but let a giggle escape. As much as he annoyed her, she was relieved that his death had all been a terrible nightmare and that Sadie was still safe.

Charlie was practically dancing with excitement by the dining room table and Mary snorted. "How many cups of coffee have you had?"

He waved her comment away. "I lost count hours ago. Anyway, I finally hit pay dirt on the footage from the Lamy Amtrak station."

"I can't believe they even have video cameras at that shack."

Charlie nodded as he typed away on his lap top. "It's a recent addition as I understand. In fact-"

"No trivia, please. I get more than enough from my partner. Let me see what you found."

Charlie swung the laptop to face her and pushed the play button to set the video in motion. The video wasn't high quality but it did provide quite a few close-ups of passengers as they disembarked the trains. After about a minute Charlie stopped the feed when Gino and Tony came into view.

"What train is this?"

"It's the Southwest Chief from Chicago."

"They took a train all the way from Chicago?" Mary looked up at Charlie in disbelief.

"They must have figured avoiding airport security was worth the day long train ride."

"I suppose." Mary started to rise from her chair but Charlie pushed her back down.

"Wait, there's more!" He started the feed again and she watched as a man approached Gino and gave him a bear hug. The two of them had a brief conversation before all three men continued walking until they were out of view of the camera.

Mary backed the footage up and paused it on a close-up of the third man. "Who is he?"

"No idea – but I'm running his face through our database as we speak."

"Maybe he's the leak – but how did he find out Carmen's location?" Mary mused to herself.

"The mafia has eyes and ears everywhere," Charlie said in a bad Godfather accent, stroking an imaginary beard.

Mary snorted again. "You've seen too many bad movies – this is real life, Kid."

Charlie opened his mouth to contradict her when his phone went off.

"This is Cha- oh, yeah, hang on, she's right here." He held out his phone to Mary. "It's Inspector Mann – he sounds upset."

She nearly took a finger off as she snatched the phone from his hand. "Hey, what's up?"

"Mary, thank God! Are you ok? Is Sadie-"

Mary felt her blood pressure shoot up as she heard the anxiety in his voice. She glanced at Charlie, who blushed furiously as he realized he was eavesdropping and left the room.

"Marshall, what's happened?"

"Gino dropped by the hospital tonight."

"What?" Mary cried, running an agitated hand through her hair. "Is Carmen all right?"

"She's fine. But when I asked where Tony was, Gino led me to believe that he might be paying you an unexpected visit."

Mary thought about her nightmare but decided that now wasn't the time to mention it. "No, everything's been quiet. And how would he have found out where Sadie is? For that matter, how did he find out where Carmen was?"

"Probably by a process of elimination; they knew she had to be in a hospital somewhere in Albuquerque. But you're right, it doesn't explain how they knew Sadie's location."

"Maybe the third man told them."

"The third man?"

"Yeah, Charlie found-"

"Hang on, I'll be right in."

"What, you're here?" Mary asked as the phone went dead in her hands.

A moment later she heard the front door open and the alarm squeal in protest. Charlie greeted Marshall as the younger inspector disarmed the system.

Mary came into the room in time to hear Marshall telling Charlie what happened at the hospital.

"Wow! I can't believe Gino tried to kill Carmen!"

"You didn't tell me that!" Mary glared at her partner.

Marshall shrugged. "Did you think he dropped in to shoot the breeze?"

Mary crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

Charlie looked between the two of them and cleared his throat. "So, I think I'll head over to the hospital and relieve Officer Mason."

"No, Kid, you need some sleep."

Both men looked at her in surprise at her concern.

"What?" she demanded. "I just don't want anything else to happen to Carmen if he collapses from sleep exhaustion."

Charlie flushed to the roots of his hair while Marshall grinned.

"That's my girl."

Charlie made record time in collecting his phone and lap top and making a hasty exit out the door.

"Don't forget to tell him what we found on the video feed," he called over his shoulder as the front door shut behind him.

Mary rolled her eyes. "Who's the junior agent here?" she muttered under her breath.

Marshall threw his car keys on the coffee table and closed the distance between them, pulling her into his arms. "Come here," he whispered against her hair, holding her tight, breathing in her scent.

She could feel him trembling in her arms and for several long moments she said and did nothing but held him.

"I'm ok, Sadie's ok," she finally whispered, her lips brushing against his ear lobe. Her words caused his trembling to increase. "What can I do, Marshall?"

He sighed deeply as he buried his face in the nape of her neck, listening to the steady beat of her heart. "I know we need to talk about what happened tonight, and Charlie said you have news, but-" he paused and cleared his throat. "But right now, could you just- could we-" his voice tapered off.

She had never heard him so broken, so vulnerable before and the words just came out; words that he had said countless times to her, but she had never said to him. "Tell me what you need."

He sighed against her skin. "Hold me."

Her arms tightened around him as a smile spread across her face. "Of course."

* * *

They lay spooned together on the bed, Marshall's arms wrapped around her waist, and her head resting against his chest. Mary traced lazy circles on his arms and let her mind drift. She had never lain in bed with anyone like this before – not even her ex-fiancé Raph. He had always wanted to snuggle and she had often complied but as soon as he had dropped off to sleep she had slid out of his arms to the other side of the bed. Lying in a man's arms had always made her feel so trapped – and she wanted to escape. But lying in Marshall's arms made her feel safe, protected –

Loved.

"A quarter for your thoughts."

She tilted her head to look into his eyes. "I thought it was supposed to be a penny."

"Inflation."

"Ah. Are you feeling better?"

"You're changing the subject."

She lifted a hand to cup his cheek. "I'm fine, Marshall. It's you I'm worried about."

He sighed into her hand. "When I got to the hospital tonight and saw Carmen hooked up to all those machines and lying there so pale and still, I kept having these flashbacks-" he cleared his throat.

"To my shooting last year?"

His eyes darted away from hers as he nodded. "And then when I thought Tony was over here and I couldn't get you on the phone, I thought it was happening all over again."

She pulled his head down and kissed him, soft and slow. "I must have accidentally turned off my phone when I went to lie down, I'm sorry."

"I'm just glad Tony wasn't here-"

His words were interrupted by the sound of breaking glass and the alarm going off. Marshall leapt off the bed, grabbed his gun and tossed Mary hers.

"Go to Sadie's room and stay with her," he ordered.

"But, Marshall-" Mary argued, visions of her nightmare dancing behind her eyes.

"Now, Mary!" he barked as he dashed down the hall.

Mary was surprised that she hadn't heard a sound from Sadie's room as she crept down the hall, with her gun ready for any intruders. Marshall was already out of her line of sight and she bit down her feeling of dread as she opened the door and slipped into the second bedroom. She closed and locked it behind her before she turned to look at the bed. Sadie was no longer visible but there was a quivering mound underneath the covers.

Mary quickly crossed the room and dropped beside the bed. "Sadie, it's Mary. Are you ok?"

The quivering intensified.

"Sadie?" Mary lifted a corner of the blanket and a pair of terrified eyes met hers.

"Grumpy?"

_I'm so glad that nickname's stuck._ "Yes, it's me."

Sadie threw back the covers and launched herself into Mary's arms. Mary managed to catch her and keep her balance. "Star?"

"He's here – somewhere," she said soothingly, as she ran her free hand up and down the little girl's back. She hadn't heard any gunshots and she had made it into Sadie's room, so this was nothing like her nightmare. _Please let this be nothing like my nightmare, _she whispered to herself as she clamped her eyes shut.

"Mary, open the door. The house is clear," Marshall's voice came through the door.

She stood, and since Sadie refused to let go of her neck, she shifted the little girl to her hip. When she opened the door, Sadie threw herself into Marshall's arms.

He caught her easily and held her close. "It's all right, Sadie girl. It was just some teenagers playing a prank."

Mary's eyes met his in disbelief and she read the unspoken message loud and clear.

_Later._

* * *

Half an hour later, the safe house was buzzing with activity. Stan and Alison Pierce had arrived along with Abigail to process the crime scene. Marshall set Sadie up with his lap top in the back bedroom while the meeting took place.

"So neither of you witnessed the rock come through the window?" Alison looked at both partners in disbelief.

Marshall stared into space, a look of sheer exhaustion on his face. Mary set down her coffee mug with a thump, sloshing some of the liquid over the side.

"Well, excuse us, Ms. Pierce, for trying to catch a short cat nap. Do you even know how much sleep we've had in the past forty-eight hours?"

Alison frowned but refrained from further comment.

"So what did you see when you came into the living room?" Abigail interjected. "Marshall?"

Mary put her hand on his arm, which caused him to jump slightly. "Sorry, what?"

"What exactly did you see when you came into the living room?" Abigail repeated.

"The broken window and the rock with the paper wrapped around it," Marshall stopped to take a large sip of coffee. "After I made sure no one was on the premises, I read the note."

Stan picked up the piece of paper from the table and read aloud: "I'll be back for my daughter. It doesn't matter where you take her. We have eyes and ears everywhere."

Mary rolled her eyes. "Okay, this guy has seen the same bad movies that Charlie has –"

Marshall grimaced. "Perhaps, but I think he's proven his point. After all, he traced them to Albuquerque, and he found the safe house."

Stan thumped the table. "We've got to stop this leak."

"Did Charlie fill you in on the third man?" Mary asked.

"Yes, he did, but we haven't come up with an ID yet. Perhaps the feds will have more luck."

"Well, in the meantime, in light of tonight's events I had a little conversation with our bosses in DC before coming over here," Stan announced.

"Oh?" Alison asked, her voice full of displeasure.

"Yes," he stated firmly. "Because of the attempt on Carmen's life at the hospital, Marshall will now be required to testify at Tony and Gino's trial next week. We all think it best if he disappears for awhile – with Sadie."

Silence fell over the room.

Mary was the first one to break it. "What are you saying, Stan? That Marshall has to enter the program?"

"Not formally, no – he'll just take some of his banked vacation days. If any of his friends or family calls the office looking for him, we'll say he's relaxing on a beach somewhere-"

"Yeah, but in reality he'll be running for his life from the mafia with a four-year-old little girl. Stan-"

Marshall turned towards her. "Mer, I have to do this. Sadie is still my witness and now, I have crucial testimony that could put members of a major mafia cartel away."

Mary stared at him for a long moment before stating, "I'm going with them."

Marshall shook his head even as Stan spoke up. "No, Mary, I need you here – we have yet to find the leak, the identity of third man, and Carmen will now be your witness."

Mary knew when she was beaten and she threw her hands up in defeat. "Fine. But I want it to go on the record that I'm not happy about any of this." She stormed from the kitchen.

"Neither am I," Alison said.

"Would you rather my senior Inspector remain here in Albuquerque and be a target?"

"Of course not – but my earlier concerns are still valid."

Stan turned to Marshall and Abigail. "Would you excuse us for a moment, please?" He waited until they had left the kitchen. "Alison, why do you have such a bee in your bonnet about Sadie and Marshall? Even if he's lost a little objectivity, he's still an excellent Inspector and it hasn't kept him from giving a hundred and ten percent to this case."

"I don't have to explain myself to you, Stan."

Stan sighed. "No, you don't. But this time, the decision is out of both of our hands. When the team arrives from Denver later today, Sadie and Marshall will both be going back to Denver with them."

* * *

Marshall couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when the door finally closed behind Alison, leaving him alone with his boss.

"Did you find out what her problem is, Chief?"

Stan shook his head as he finished rinsing out the coffee cups and put them in the dish rack to dry. "She informed me that it was none of my business."

Marshall rubbed a hand across his temple. "I can't figure her out – I hope she goes back to DC soon and leaves our office in peace."

Stan chuckled. "Me too. So, where's Mary gone to? Is she giving you the silent treatment?"

Marshall grimaced as he dropped into a chair at the kitchen table. "She's in the back bedroom watching _Mary Poppins _with Sadie – can you believe it? When I checked on them a few minutes ago, I heard giggles so I thought the coast was clear. But as soon as I poked my head inside, Mary glared at me and Sadie actually told me to go away." He shrugged. "I guess I'm in the doghouse."

"Aw, your partner's just sore that you're going on a road trip and she has to stay behind at the office with Charlie and Alison."

Marshall cocked an eyebrow. "Is that how I should think of this- a road trip? I mean, I really appreciate you going to bat with the brass for me to accompany Sadie to Denver. But I know that she's the one in danger, not me."

"Gino's been talking, Marshall."

His head snapped up to look his boss in the eye. "What's he been saying?"

"Nothing we can get on the record, of course. But he's been hinting that Tony will do anything to get his family back together – and if someone should try and prevent from taking what's legally his-" Stan stopped and shrugged his shoulders.

"That sounds like a threat to me!"

"But he's not the one making the threat – and he doesn't actually say the words, he just hints at it or leads you there -"

"Like he led me to believe Tony was here at the safe house," Marshall finished with a groan.

Stan nodded. "So when I told my bosses that info, that's what convinced them to send you into hiding with Sadie."

"Do me a favor, Stan? Don't tell Mary."

"About the implied threats against your life?"

Marshall nodded.

"You do realize that they are against her as well – because she'll be protecting Carmen and preventing Tony from taking her?"

"I know, Stan."

Stan nodded again. "I promise I'll have her back – you just watch yours."

* * *

**A/N: So I couldn't do it - I couldn't kill off Charlie. But what's going to happen when Mary and Marshall split up? In the immortal words of Han Solo: "I've got a bad feeling about this." Reviews are L-O-V-E!**


	8. Ambush

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, dear readers. Fasten your seat belts - it's about to get bumpy!**

* * *

Marshall was transferring fresh clothes into his duffel bag when he heard the door behind him shut softly.

"Is the movie over already?" he asked, as he stuffed another pair of socks into the bag.

"No, Sadie fell asleep."

"I'm glad – it's going to be a long trip to Denver."

"Do you know how you'll be travelling?"

"No – that will be up to the team from Denver."

He heard her snicker and couldn't help but smile in response.

"How you must hate giving up that control – you're the one with maps, directions, and at least three routes in and out of town."

Marshall zipped his bag shut and turned to face Mary for the first time, trying not to flinch at the steely look in her eye. Shrugging his shoulders, he simply replied, "This isn't my op."

The fire flared in her eyes as she crossed the room to stand in front of him. "No, this time you **are** the op! Damn it, Marshall – how can you be so calm?"

"Panicking isn't going to help anything," he said soothingly as he reached for her but Mary slapped his hands away and began to pace.

"We've been partners since Day One – we've never done any witness transports without the other – we've always been there to cover each other's asses – and now – for all intents and purposes, you're being forced into the program - and I don't when or even if I'll –"

Marshall grabbed her by the upper arms as she passed in front of him, pulling her against him amid her protests. "Mary, hush, hush. Listen to me. I'll be back."

"Will you?"

The words hung in the air between them and for a few moments Marshall didn't know what to say to reassure her. "Come, sit with me." He led her to the bed and together they perched on the end. She refused to be drawn into an embrace, so he settled for holding one of her hands.

"Mary, this is bringing back all the fears of abandonment with your father and I don't know how to fight those except to remind you that I'm not him. I'm not leaving you, Mary Shannon – not today, not ever. I will be back."

"But who's going to watch your ass?"

He chuckled. "That's what the Denver team is for, remember? Surely there are other competent US Marshals out there besides the two of us-" he paused when he saw her look of disbelief and added, "Even if we are the best."

She gave him a small smile. "I still don't like it."

"I know."

"Here," she removed her hand from his to unfasten the St Jude medallion that always hung around her neck. "I want you to take this with you."

"What? Mer, I couldn't-"

She placed a finger on his lips. "Shh, no arguments. My father gave me this the day he left. He told me that it would protect me as I looked after Squish and Mom."

Marshall tried not to grit his teeth in frustration. "What a load to lay on a seven year old girl."

She smiled as she fastened the chain around his neck, fingering the medallion. "I've never taken it off since," she whispered.

"Mer-"

"No – I want you to take it. Maybe it will protect you since I can't this time – and it will help me feel like I'm with you."

He pulled her into his lap. "You're always with me, Mer."

She rolled her eyes and cuffed him on the shoulder. "You're such a sap, Doofus."

"Hey, you started it –" He leaned in to kiss her.

She pulled away to glance at the alarm clock. "When do we have to be at the office?"

He ran his hands up her arms, leaving goose bumps in his wake. "We have time."

She brought her hands up to his face, letting her thumbs trace his cheekbones. "Love me, Marshall."

He breathed against her lips. "I do."

The words reached her sleep deprived brain and caused her eyes to fly open. "What?" she gasped as she sat back on his lap.

"I do love you, Mer. I always have."

Mary stared at him in open mouthed shock, trying to process his words along with the fuzzy, funny feelings in her stomach. _Isn't this where I usually run out the front door? Why do I feel so calm?_

_Well, I said the scary words and she's still here in my arms. _Marshall breathed a sigh of relief. "Mary, it's okay," he rubbed her arms in reassurance. "I didn't say those words expecting you to say them back to me. I just wanted you to know how I felt before I left-"

Her lips cut off his words as she pressed her upper body to his and knocked him back onto the bed. Laughing against her lips, he tangled his fingers in her hair and deepened the kiss, slowing the pace at which she was devouring his mouth. She pulled away and looked down at him, a frown on her face.

"Slow down," he panted. "We have time. Let me love you."

He watched as a shy smile spread across her face before she whispered, "Okay."

* * *

Exactly ninety minutes later, the partners arrived at the Sunshine building, freshly showered, with Sadie in tow. Marshall carried both his and Sadie's duffel bags in one hand, and Mary used her free hand to unlock the outer office door as the little girl was between them, holding both of their hands.

Charlie looked up from his desk and beamed. "Here's the happy family now."

Mary glared at him. "Bite me, Kid."

He swallowed nervously and stammered something about needing coffee as he bolted for the kitchenette. Marshall clicked his tongue at her in disapproval as he dropped the bags by his desk and she just grinned at him.

Sadie giggled. "No kissy kissy."

Mary held a finger to her lips as her eyes darted around the office. "Shh, kiddo. It's a secret, remember?"

Sadie's eyes grew round. "Okay, Grumpy."

Mary sighed as Marshall laughed. "I'm so glad that nickname's stuck," she muttered. "But at least I don't have a girly one, Doofus."

"Hey, I happen to think 'Star' is a vast improvement over 'Doofus'," Marshall argued as Sadie let go of their hands and skipped over to Mary's desk.

Mary planted her fists on her hips, squaring off against him. "Are you saying you like Sadie's nickname better than mine?"

A teasing light came into his eyes. "Maybe."

Her mouth fell open before she realized he was baiting her. "Well, maybe I'll just have to think of another one while you're away," she teased him as she leaned in to whisper. "But the trouble is, I don't know if I'll be able to say it in public."

"Mary-" he growled her name as he felt his lower body reacting to her nearness and the innuendo behind her words.

"Inspectors, will you join us, please?"

Both of them jumped apart to see Stan standing in the conference room doorway, beckoning to them. Marshall's eyes darted to Sadie but Charlie reentered the office just then.

"I'll watch her for you, Inspector Mann."

"Thanks, Charlie, and please, I really wish you would call me Marshall."

Charlie blushed. "Oh, I don't think I could do that. I mean, you're older- I mean – I'm just-"

"Oh good grief!" Mary threw up her hands. "At least he doesn't call you Doofus!" She punched her partner in the shoulder as he chuckled. "Let's get in there."

Mary could feel Alison's eyes on her the moment she entered the conference room and she wondered if the woman had observed their exchange through the glass. She wondered if to the casual observer she and Marshall's relationship seemed any different now that they were sleeping together. They had always had a close partnership, one full of bantering and baiting and, yes, even flirting at times. But were they now giving off the 'Oh My God, they're doing it!' vibe that Marshall insisted Stan and Eleanor had given off once upon a time? She snorted. _As if there had ever been anything like that between our boss and the office drone._

"Mary, are you with us?"

Stan's voice cut into her thoughts as her partner's elbow bumped hers. She was still standing in the doorway, blocking his entry behind her. "Sorry, I'm suffering from a lack of sleep, I guess." She moved hastily to the table and took a seat, Marshall immediately taking one to her right.

"I'd like to introduce Marshall Mann and his partner, Mary Shannon. Marshall, Mary, this is Chris Sandtis and Michelle Stevens from the Denver office."

Both sets of partners nodded to each other across the conference table, coolly and silently assessing the other. Michelle was a redheaded, petite woman with dazzling white teeth that sparkled when she smiled, which was often. Mary hated her already.

"Please call me Elle – you know, like the supermodel – though we look nothing alike," she and her partner shared a laugh.

Mary rolled her eyes and shared a look with her partner, communicating silently with him. _You've got to be kidding me – I'm supposed to trust her with Sadie's life – not to mention yours?_

Marshall placed a reassuring hand on her knee underneath the table. _Behave._

Marshall smiled. "It's always nice to meet fellow Marshals."

Elle leaned across the table, giving everyone a nice view of her cleavage. "Is your name really Marshall – Marshal Marshall Mann?"

Mary gritted her teeth and she felt Marshall's hand tense on her knee but she couldn't hold back the words. "Yes, that's his real name. Are you sure yours isn't-"

"So, what's the game plan?" Marshall cut in, as he released her knee and began to caress her upper thigh.

Chris, who so far had watched the exchange with great amusement, finally spoke. "It's simple really. We'll drive – switch vehicles a couple of times in case anyone follows us but otherwise drive straight on to Denver today."

Mary glanced at Marshall and noticed the tic was back in his jaw. She knew that he would have handled it differently if this was his op – and damn it, he should have been running point! After all, his life was on the line here. She dropped her hands beneath the table so she could lace their fingers together.

"What if Tony follows you to Denver?" Stan asked. "Do you have a Plan B?"

"Oh, we don't plan to stay in Denver," Elle put in confidently.

Marshall perked up and Mary easily read his body language. She knew that he thought this sounded more promising. "So what's our final destination?"

Chris shook his head as he looked around the table. "I'm afraid we really aren't at liberty to discuss that, Marshall. The fewer people who know of your and Sadie's location, the better."

He felt Mary's fingers tighten around his as he ground out between clenched teeth, "But I trust the people in this room with my life." _Well, with the exception of Alison._

"But we don't," Chris said firmly. "Have you found your leak yet?"

Silence met this statement.

Chris nodded. "I thought not. Look, my partner and I are just trying to do our job – which is to protect you and Sadie up to and through the trial. What happens afterwards, well, that's your call." He shrugged and glanced at his wristwatch. "We should really be hitting the road in the next fifteen minutes if we want to keep on schedule. I'll start loading the Jeep."

Chris shook hands with Stan and Alison, leaving a slightly embarrassed Elle to explain. "I know he's a bit abrupt – but Chris is really great at his job." She flashed her white teeth.

Marshall chuckled. "Don't worry, Elle. I'm used to abrupt partners."

Elle laughed as Mary kicked him under the table, making him wince in pain.

"Is there a deli nearby where I could grab some sandwiches for the road?"

Alison nodded. "Let me go with you, Elle."

The two women left the conference room together, leaving Stan alone with his inspectors. He had noticed throughout the meeting how close they had been sitting and the fact that their hands weren't on the table top. Now he also noticed that the necklace Mary always wore wasn't around her neck and that part of a gold chain was just visible underneath Marshall's open shirt collar.

Stan smiled. _Don't ask, don't tell – but damn it! It really was about time._

"Well, Marshall. I know I don't have to tell you to protect Sadie – you've done a bang up job of that since Carmen signed her MOU."

Marshall nodded.

Stan stood and came around the table to clap his senior inspector on the back. "But if you don't watch your ass and come back to us – I'll sic Mary on you," he said gruffly, fighting the lump in throat.

Both partners chuckled as Marshall gave a mock salute and said, "Yes, sir."

"I'll give you two a minute," he winked as he left the room.

"Alone at last."

Mary sighed as she looked out the floor to ceiling windows. "Yeah, like fish in a fish bowl."

He chuckled. "Play nice while I'm gone?"

She swallowed the lump that rose in her throat. "What exactly is your definition of 'playing nice'?"

He narrowed his eyes in thought. "Hmm, don't get written up on report? I still want to have a partner when I get back."

She huffed out a breath. "I'll try – but I'm not making any promises."

"That's my girl."

She reached up and pulled out the medallion, letting it dangle free. "You better come back to me, Marshall Mann – or so help me I will hunt you down-"

He placed a finger against her lips, his heart breaking at the sight of moisture in her eyes. Knowing that he and Sadie were literally running for their lives from the mafia and he may very well get caught in the crossfire, he fell back on words he had uttered long ago when he had feared he might die.

Pulling her close, he murmured against her hair, "I will try not to die – for you."

Mary groaned as the familiar words washed over her, this time accompanied by the intense longing for this man next to her. She hooked an arm around his shoulder and kissed his cheek as he shivered against her. _Just like then, but so many things are different now._

She pulled back to look him in the eye. "I'm going to hold you to that, Lover."

* * *

Tony jumped as the burn phone rang. _Finally!_

"Hello?"

"Everything's ready. They should be on the road to Denver shortly."

Tony jumped up and began pacing his dingy motel room. "And you're sure that's where they're headed?"

The voice on the other end chuckled. "Do you doubt the reliability of my source?"

"No, no – I just – my daughter isn't going to be hurt, is she?"

"Nothing is going to happen to Sadie, Tony, relax. The safety of your daughter has been guaranteed. She will be taken and held in a secure location until after your trial."

"When you have her – will you call me so I can come see her?"

There was a pause before the answer came. "You know that's not wise. The police and the feds are looking for you. You need to stay away until after your trial – then we'll reunite you with your daughter."

"You're right – I just – I really want my family back."

"And we're helping you do that. I'll call you later to let you know we have Sadie."

"I don't know how to thank you."

There was another chuckle. "Your money is all the thanks I require – besides I owed Gino a favor. Just don't pull another stupid stunt like that brick before your trial."

Tony gasped. "You know about that?"

"You're not the only one with eyes and ears everywhere, Mr. Forelli."

* * *

They had only been on the road for an hour and Marshall was jumpy. Every car that passed or followed a little too closely, he was convinced was Tony. Finally he started making an origami zoo with Sadie to distract himself – to convince himself that he didn't need to be hyper vigilant. Elle's incessant chatter in the front seat was enough to set his teeth on edge and he missed Mary more with every passing mile. When the motion of the vehicle put Sadie to sleep, he switched to folding paper stars. They had been one of the first shapes he had learned to make and he often fell back on them when he needed to think. His fingers would perform the folds without his conscious thought, and allow his thoughts to wander where they would.

"How long has the kid been asleep?" Chris asked, breaking his train of thought.

Marshall looked down to see his lap littered with dozens of paper stars. How long had he been folding these? Shaking his head in amusement as he imagined the snarky comment Mary would make if she could see him now, he glanced at his wristwatch.

"About ninety minutes."

"Lucky girl," Elle chattered. "I can't sleep in cars or I get sick, even on a straight stretch of highway like this. Once when I was a little girl, I was five, I think-"

Marshall tuned her out and looked out the window. _Is this how Mary feels about my trivia? Do I just go on and on about things on road trips and she's not even listening to me? _He winced. _Don't ask the question if you don't want to know the answer, Marshall._

He hadn't realized that he had nodded off himself until he felt Sadie tugging on his sleeve.

"What's up, Sadie girl?"

"Potty," she whispered, her face contorted in need.

Chris groaned. "You have got to be kidding! The next rest stop is miles down the road!"

Elle giggled. "There's lots of sagebrush, Chris. Pull over and I'll take her."

"What do you think, Sadie girl? Will you let Miss Elle take you?"

Sadie nodded. "Gotta go."

Chris turned on the blinker and pulled off the highway onto the shoulder, and Marshall helped Sadie out of her car seat.

"Talk among yourselves, gentleman. Us girls will be right back," Elle giggled as she led Sadie by the hand off the road.

"So, how long have you worked in WitSec?" Marshall asked as he leaned back into the SUV to retrieve his water bottle.

"Well, actually-"

A childish scream split the late afternoon air followed by gunshots.

"Sadie!" Marshall yelled, dropping his water bottle and turning to run for the sagebrush.

"I wouldn't if I were you, Inspector."

The voice stopped him in his tracks and Marshall turned to see that Chris had drawn his weapon and it was pointing straight at his heart.

"What's going on?"

"Let's just say I've been paid very handsomely to return that cute little thing to her rightful place."

Marshall held up his hands, slowly advancing on the younger man. "Don't do this – her father's a member of the mafia- a criminal – a killer-"

"And what do you think I am?"

Another scream rent the air and Marshall's heart constricted. "Don't hurt her – I'm sure Tony wouldn't want you to hurt her."

"You're right – but he didn't say anything about you."

"Chris!" A voice called to him from the sagebrush. "What's taking so long? Sadie's-"

The split second of distraction was all Marshall was looking for – he flew the distance between them and tackled the younger man, knocking them both to the ground. They rolled over and over, fighting for control of the gun.

Another shot broke the stillness of the New Mexico desert and Marshall cried out in agony as a searing white hot pain went through his upper thigh before the world went black.

* * *

**I know - I'm evil to leave y'all here! But I'll tell you this much: it's not a dream this time. Reviews are**

**L-O-V-E!**


	9. Hostage

**A/N: Sorry to leave you all with a cliffhanger for so long - RL kicked my butt this week! Please show your love with reviews!**

* * *

"Inspector Shannon, do you have the-"

Charlie broke off when he saw that his words weren't even registering with her. Mary was staring at her computer screen but he could tell that she wasn't really seeing it. He carefully put a hand on her shoulder and she nearly flew up out of her chair in shock.

"Geez, Kid, warn me next time, will you?"

"I did. I've been talking to you for the last five minutes but you didn't hear me."

Mary dropped her head in her hands. "Sorry, Kid. I guess I'm distracted. I've just got this feeling in the pit of my stomach that I can't seem to shake-"

Charlie nodded in understanding. "You had the special from the cafeteria again, didn't you?"

She glared at him. "No – I'm not talking about food. I haven't eaten since breakfast."

"Maybe that's the problem – it's after five! You should eat something."

She huffed out an exasperated breath. "What do you want?"

"Oh, have you seen the video footage from the Lamy station? You know, the one that had Tony and Gino and the third man on it? I just realized that Marshall didn't have a photo of him before he left and I was going to send one to his phone-"

Mary waved his words away. "No, I haven't seen the tape but it doesn't matter anyway. You won't be able to reach Marshall until he gets to Denver. There's no reception on I-25 – it's such a desolate stretch of highway."

"Oh, right. Now where did I put that tape?" Charlie walked away, muttering to himself.

Mary ran a hand through her hair, loosening her ponytail. Maybe that's what was bothering her. The image of Marshall on a desolate highway, with no cell coverage – just like the time he got shot and nearly- She shook herself. No, he was fine. He had two US Marshals, one of whom seemed competent. Perhaps the other could smile prettily and blind any assailants with her teeth.

She jumped again as Stan suddenly bellowed from his office.

"I don't believe it!" He threw open his office door and looked around, his eyes landing on her. "Where's Alison?"

"Uh, gone," Mary swallowed.

"What – is she keeping bank hours now? Get in here, Mary."

More than a little curious, she crossed the room and entered her boss' inner sanctum.

"Shut the door."

"Stan, you're starting to scare me," Mary let the door swing shut behind her.

He smiled grimly. "Sit down, Mary. This is going to come as a shock to you-"

"For God's sake, spit it out, Stan!"

"Carmen is Alison's biological daughter."

Mary gripped the edge of Stan's desk as the room tilted. "What? Alison had a kid? How the hell did you find out?"

Stan reached for his new bottle of Maalox and took a healthy swig. "I just couldn't stop thinking about how much Marshall and Sadie's relationship bothered her – so I started looking into her history. It took some serious digging but I finally found a copy of a birth certificate for a baby girl born to one Alison Pierce twenty one years ago in New York City."

"But, Stan – do you have any idea how many babies are born in that city – who knows where Alison's baby ended up. Maybe she got adopted, maybe she-"

"Then tell me why I found evidence that Alison has been making anonymous donations to Mrs. Crisley's, Carmen's foster mother, ever since her daughter was placed there at the age of six."

Mary opened and closed her mouth, not knowing what to say.

"I know it's all circumstantial but why would a snob like Alison Pierce make donations to a low income foster home in New York City – a place where she lived less than two years of her life?"

"You had no right, Chief Inspector McQueen."

Stan and Mary both turned to see a pale faced Alison standing in the doorway. "This is my private life and you had no right to go-"

"I had every right!" Stan thundered. "You weren't answering any of my questions, Alison. What you were doing was being evasive as hell and trying to separate a vulnerable little girl from her WitSec inspector for no logical reason that I could see. Was it just so you could be close to your grandchild?"

Alison gasped in shock before recovering. "You forget yourself, Stan. I don't answer to you – but for the record, yes, Carmen is my biological daughter."

Mary felt like her head was going to explode. She couldn't believe that the woman admitted it – and that Marshall was missing this revelation.

"Does Carmen know?" Mary whispered.

Alison shook her head.

"What about the Forellis?"

"I don't see how they could have found out-"

"I did," Stan interjected.

"I don't see that it would matter to them one way or the other-"

Mary snorted. "Haven't you ever heard of a little thing called 'leverage'?"

Alison paled. "But that's ridiculous – all Tony wants is to be reunited with his daughter. He would never hurt her."

"He's part of an organized crime family!" Mary exclaimed. "There's no telling what his other 'business' partners will do – to your precious granddaughter or my partner!" Shoving her hands in her hair, her ponytail holder snapped, causing her hair to come cascading down around her shoulders.

"Oh God," Alison swayed unsteadily on her feet.

"Ladies, let's not panic," Stan soothed. "I'm sure everything is fine. Marshall promised to call you as soon as he got to Denver, didn't he, Mary?"

She nodded distractedly.

"Well then, I suggest we order some take out because I'm starving. It will be at least a couple of hours before Marshall checks in and there's nothing for us to do but wait."

* * *

Marshall tried hard to stay awake on the drive but combined with the pain and blood loss from his gunshot wound and the jarring of the vehicle from the dirt roads they were travelling, he soon gave up and closed his eyes. His only comfort was that he could hear Sadie nearby, crying for him. _At least she's okay._

When the van finally lurked to a stop, he was thrown against the side and he couldn't keep the scream from passing his lips. He knew the bullet was still in his leg and he wondered if they would be kind enough to take it out or if they would leave it in and let the wound fester until he died. He knew Chris had wanted to leave him on the side of the highway to die but when Sadie saw him, she had clawed her way free of her captor to be at his side. She had created such a scene and Chris was in such a hurry to get out of there before another car happened by that in the end, Marshall had been loaded into the van along with Sadie. God only knew where they were now.

The back doors of the van were thrown open and Chris stood there, his gun at the ready.

"Get out."

Marshall grunted. "I don't think I can walk unassisted."

Chris grinned. "Try."

Marshall sat up slowly, the world tilting from his blood loss. He slid slowly to the back, trying to get a look around but all he saw was a heavily wooded area. He did smell fresh water, so there had to be a body of water close by, most likely a lake. Swinging his feet over the side, he carefully put most of his weight on his good leg and tried to stand, gritting his teeth against the pain. The world spun faster as he took a step and collapsed.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about you trying to escape," Chris laughed. "Frankie!"

"Yeah, boss?"

"Get over here and carry this pitiful excuse for a man into the cabin – put him in the cellar."

"Sure thing, boss."

Marshall squinted as a pair of boots stepped in front of him and he looked up to see a grinning line backer looking down at him. "Hurt yourself, did ya?"

Marshall remained silent.

"Don't worry, pal, Frankie can carry a little guy like you no problem."

He put his money where his mouth was as he bent down and picked up Marshall, slinging him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Hey, Frankie!" Chris called.

"Yeah, boss?"

"Watch his right leg – there's a bullet in there."

"Oh – want me to call Doc?"

"No, I'm just letting you know so he doesn't bleed all over you."

The two men laughed and Marshall moaned. _Great, I've been taken hostage by a sadistic Laurel and Hardy. Mary, hurry._

* * *

Mary glanced at the clock on the wall and tried not to panic – it wouldn't help anything. She lifted her hand to play with her necklace and then dropped her fingers as she remembered it wasn't there. Her medallion was around Marshall's neck, keeping him safe. _Please let it be keeping him safe._

"I found the video!" Charlie announced as he came back from the kitchenette, waving it in triumph.

"Who cares?" she growled.

"I do! I've been looking for it for hours!"

Stan chuckled as he broke open his fortune cookie. "Hey, my fortune cookie is empty – that's just not right!"

Mary tossed a scrap of paper at him. "Here, you can have mine."

"Isn't that bad luck or something?"

"It says 'you will soon be taking a long journey across a hot desert' – so maybe it is bad luck. If you even believe in those things," she muttered.

"Oh, I do," Charlie piped up. "One time, I was with my cousin at this little sushi place and she had a fortune in her pocket and-"

"Shut up, Kid!'

"Mary!" Stan bellowed.

"They never reached Denver."

All eyes turned to Alison as she stood in Stan's doorway, her hand clutching the doorframe. "How do you know?" Stan demanded.

"I just got off the phone with the Denver office – they were due back over an hour ago."

"Well, perhaps they got a flat tire or something," Charlie said, trying to put a positive spin on things.

Mary wrapped her arms around herself, trying to ward off the chill that was settling in her bones.

"There's more," Alison whispered. "State police have just called in with the report of a car fire on I-25 just south of Raton – and an unidentified body was found in the sagebrush."

Mary's knees buckled as she felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her waist and steer her into a chair. She looked up into the concerned eyes of her boss.

"He's not dead, Stan. He wouldn't leave me – He told me he'd-" the words stuck in her throat as Marshall's face swam before her eyes and she bit back a sob. "He's not dead!"

Stan pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "All right, here's what we're going to do. Mary and I are going to drive up there tonight to find out the identity of the body and see if it is or was our SUV. Alison, why don't you take a turn sitting with Carmen tonight and Charlie-" he turned to look at the youngest member of his team, who had gone unnaturally pale and still.

Charlie refocused on Stan and gave him a smile. "I'll hold down the fort, boss. Don't worry about a thing."

Mary was already heading for the door, pulling her hair back up in a sloppy ponytail, when Charlie stepped into her path.

"You'll let me know as soon as you know?"

She placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "You'll be our first call, Kid."

He nodded, the emotion rising in his throat. "Thanks."

* * *

The miles had never ticked by so slowly. Mary tried to pass the time by replaying her favorite moments on road trips with Marshall. He had driven her crazy in the beginning of their partnership, with his constant trivial facts about the most mundane subjects. But eventually she got used to the sound of his voice telling her about the migration patterns of Canadian geese and the never ending debate about whether tomatoes were a fruit or a vegetable. Their road trips were never boring and even with as much trivia as he spouted, he always gave her plenty of time to talk about the drama going on in her life – and offer his sage advice.

And he also instinctively knew when she didn't want to talk and wanted him to shut the hell up.

"You're not dead," she whispered. "I'd feel it, I'd know."

Stan heard her whispered confession, but pretended he didn't and just focused on the road.

When they finally reached the crime scene, all that was left was the burned out shell of a vehicle and lots of tape cordoning off the area. A couple of cops were still in the vicinity trying to keep people out but when they flashed their badges, one officer got his superior.

"Wow, US Marshalls from Albuquerque all the way up here. I'm Captain Kliss. What's this all about?"

"We have reason to believe that this vehicle might have contained some fellow US Marshals from Albuquerque."

"Oh, and why do you say that?"

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say, Captain. But we understand you have an unidentified body – and we just might be able to help you with that."

Captain Kliss's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Well, the body's no longer in the brush, since we finished photographing the scene. Our ME's just about ready to transport. Body's on the gurney over there if you want to have a look." He waved them in the direction of the truck and Mary felt herself began to tremble as she began walking.

Stan put his hand on her shoulder. "Mary, let me do this. There's no need for you to see what's under that sheet."

She shook her head. "I have to do this, Stan. I know he's not dead – but if by some chance it is him, I have to – I have to-" she squeezed his hand and took a deep breath before drawing back the sheet.

"It's Elle!" Stan gasped as they looked down as the petite agent.

Waves of relief crashed through her only to be quickly replaced by fear and dread. "Yes, it is. They were here, Stan – and in all likelihood that is their car – so where in the hell are Sadie and Marshall now?"

Captain Kliss came up just then. "So, do you have an ID for me?"

Mary pulled the sheet back up, covering Elle's face. "Her name was Michelle Stevens, known to her friends as Elle. She was a US Marshal from Denver."

Captain Kliss nodded as he made notes on a pad. "I take it she was one of the Marshals in the car?" He gestured to the burnt wreck by the road.

Mary nodded. "Did you recover anything from the wreckage?"

"Very little, but you're welcome to look over what we found." He pulled a small evidence bag from his pocket and put it in her hands.

"This is it?"

"It was a gasoline fire, very hot and intense. I'm surprised we got anything."

She swallowed. "Can you tell if anyone was in the car?"

"Not until we get it back to the lab in Raton for testing – but God, I hope not. It would be a terrible way to die." Captain Kliss shuddered as he walked away.

With shaking fingers, Mary opened the evidence bag and dumped the contents into her hands: a burnt origami star and a partially melted St Jude medallion.

"Oh, Marshall," she breathed. "Where are you?"

* * *

He lost all track of time as he drifted in and out of consciousness. He knew that his wound had finally clotted but he had no idea how much blood he had actually lost. He knew he had a fever as the infection was starting to set in, but he had no idea how high it was. He knew that Sadie had to be somewhere in the cabin because in his more lucid moments he heard her calling for him, but he was too weak to do anything about it.

* * *

Chris looked up as Frankie came back into the living room, an untouched tray of food in his hand.

"She's still refusing to eat?"

Frankie nodded. "All she does is cry and ask to see the guy in the cellar."

Chris sighed. "She hasn't eaten anything in twelve hours – and I can't put off calling Tony for much longer."

"He's not going to be happy, boss."

Chris glared at him. "I know that. Go on – go check on her," he motioned Frankie out the door as he picked up the phone and dialed a number, and waited for Tony to pick up. "Hello, Tony."

"It's about time! I was expecting your call hours ago – do you have Sadie?"

"Calm down, man, it took a little longer than I planned on to reach the cabin. Yes, I have your daughter."

Tony laughed in relief. "How is she?"

Chris hesitated. "She's – fine. Look, there was a complication and we had to bring someone with us – one of her Marshals."

"What!" Tony yelled.

"Listen! Your daughter was having hysterics by the side of the highway and I didn't want to risk someone coming by and seeing us. We didn't have much choice but to bring him with us."

"And just how do you intend to get rid of him?"

Chris chuckled. "That's not going to be a problem. When we leave here in a day or two, we'll just leave him tied up in the basement to starve to death."

"And you're sure his people won't be able to trace him before you get out of there with my daughter?"

"Of course not-"

"And there's nothing else you need to tell me? No other problems?"

Chris thought about Sadie's hunger strike but decided that he could fix that problem himself. If the little brat wanted to sit in the cellar with 'Star' and watch him die, that could be arranged.

"Nope, we're good on this end."


	10. Bread crumbs

**A/N: RL has slowed down again so you all get another update super quick! This chapter has a lot of Sadie in it and comes with a warning: she gets hurt. I'm not talking SVU hurt, but the scene was one reason I upped this story to the 'M' rating - and it was incredibly hard for me to write. On a lighter note, one of my favorite scenes is also in the chapter - see if you can spot it!**

* * *

Sadie squeezed her eyes shut and pretended to be asleep as she heard the key in the lock. She knew it was the big man coming to check on her again, bringing her water or food, to see if she would eat something, but all she wanted was to see Star. She had to know if he was ok; every time she closed her eyes she saw the lady with the big teeth falling to the ground with a hole in her chest. She hadn't seen any holes in Star but he had had an awful lot of blood on him and she was scared. Scared that he would leave her – scared that these bad men would take her back to her daddy and she would never see her mama again.

She clutched Mr. Bear tighter as heavy footsteps approached the bed and a shadow fell over her.

"Sadie, are you awake?" Chris whispered.

Sadie didn't move a muscle.

"I hear you're still refusing to eat anything," Chris continued as he sat on the foot of the bed. "And that you're asking to see your friend."

Sadie's eyes flew open. "Star – Sadie see Star now?"

"Will you promise to eat something?" Chris bargained.

Sadie chewed on her lower lip as her stomach rumbled. "Sadie see Star – then eat."

Chris chuckled. "Let's go." He stood and held out his hand.

Sadie jumped off the bed and clutched Mr. Bear tightly to her chest before she hesitantly placed her free hand in his.

* * *

Stan rejoined Mary in the sagebrush where Elle's body had been found as soon as he had finished his phone call to Charlie.

She looked up at him from where she was squatting in the dust. "I can't believe you got any reception out here."

He chuckled. "I had to wander a bit, but I finally found a spot and if I didn't move a muscle, I got a signal. Charlie's tracing Marshall's cell phone as we speak."

Mary shook her head as she rose to her feet, shaking the dust from her hands. "Can you say long shot? I'm sure the abductors confiscated it and turned it off first thing, Stan."

He reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "I know – but it's all we've got at the moment. So, find anything Captain Kliss missed?"

She shook her head. "No, there's a slightly damp patch over by that bush – could be urine."

He nodded. "Makes sense, Sadie probably had to go potty. So, they pull over and Elle brings her over here to answer nature's call and they're ambushed."

Mary nodded in agreement. "But what happened to Chris and Marshall?"

Stan blew a breath out between clenched teeth. "Maybe Chris was in on it."

"What?"

"Think about it, Inspector. They'd been driving for hours – and they're ambushed here, on a desolate stretch of road? It had to have planned-"

"Or someone sent a signal," Mary finished the thought. "I'll kill him. So help me God, if Marshall or Sadie's hurt and he was in on it, I'll kill him."

"Inspectors!"

They turned to see Captain Kliss jogging towards them. "One of my officers found this about a mile up the road." He deposited the object in Mary's hand.

Mary looked at the dirty, crumpled origami star in her hand and felt the tears gathering behind her eyes.

In order to give her a minute, Stan asked, "Why were your officers looking so far outside the crime scene?"

Captain Kliss shrugged. "I just thought there might be more clues from the wreck. So I sent a couple of guys further up the highway to beat the bushes."

"And this little scrap of paper caught their eye?" Mary asked incredouslessly

Kliss laughed. "Yeah, Shawn has a niece who's really into origami." He sobered suddenly as he handed over his flashlight. "There's a message on it."

The beam of light illuminated the letters written in a childish scrawl across the star: HEP.

"H-E-P?" Stan frowned. "What does that mean?"

"Help," Mary said softly. "Squish used to spell it just that way when she was four. But I have another question, Stan. Is this blood?" She pointed a shaking finger to the edges of the star. "And whose is it?"

Kliss held out an evidence bag and with some reluctance, Mary dropped the star into it. "Okay, I'll send a couple of my men further up the highway, looking for these origami stars. And I'll also alert the Colorado State Police. I assume we're dealing with the kidnapping of a child, here?"

Stan and Mary shared a look before Stan nodded.

"I'll come with you, Captain, and tell you what I can."

* * *

When Chris turned on the light in the cellar, illuminating the dark underground space, the man in the far corner on a filthy cot moaned. Sadie released his hand with a cry and flew across the stone floor to Marshall's side, climbing onto the cot to nestle against his side, dropping Mr. Bear on the floor. She ran her little hands over his hot, flushed face.

"Star? Star!" she cried, as she patted his cheek gently.

Marshall's only response was to moan and shiver slightly.

Sadie turned back to Chris, fire in her dark eyes. "You bad man! Star sick! You make better!"

Chris laughed. "I don't take orders from a little girl. You've seen your precious Star. Now it's time to go back to your room, have something to eat, and go to sleep. It's late."

Sadie shrank away from the man and his words, wrapping her arms firmly around Marshall's neck. "No."

Chris frowned. "No?"

"No," Sadie repeated. "Sadie stay with Star. No eat."

Chris felt the anger building in his gut. "We had a deal, you little shit."

Sadie shook her head as she laid her head over Marshall's heart, listening to its slow rhythm. "Bad man," she whispered. "You hurt people. Hurt lady, hurt Star."

Chris snarled as he crossed the room and picked Sadie up by one arm, twisting it savagely behind her back, the bone snapping under the pressure of his fingers. Sadie screamed in pain. "Listen hear, you little brat! I've been hired to keep you safe until your daddy comes to get you- ow!"

His words ended in a scream and string of profanity as Sadie's kicks landed on his private area and he dropped her in surprise. Sadie scurried back to the cot and used Marshall's body as a shield as she wedged herself between him and the wall.

"Boss! What's going on down here?" Heavy footsteps sounded on the stairs and Frankie came into view, his eyes sweeping around the room. He looked at a terrified Sadie, her right arm hanging limp and useless by her side, bruises already forming on her skin before his eyes darted nervously to Chris. "Boss, you know Tony's not going to like you roughing up his little girl."

Chris growled as he silently counted to ten, trying to get his temper back in check. "Fine, then you keep an eye on them while I go cool off, ok? And try to get her highness to eat something."

Frankie nodded as Chris headed for the stairs.

"Oh, Boss? Do you want me to take her back upstairs?"

Chris looked back at the cot where Sadie was once again draped across Marshall's chest, her eyes closed, tears seeping out beneath the closed lids.

He grinned. "Nah, leave 'em both down here in the dark for awhile."

* * *

Frankie didn't like to leave anyone in the dark, especially not a scared little girl. He had slept with a night light himself until a few years ago – when the teasing of his boss and others he traveled with got to be too much. But the dark still scared him and he knew that for a little girl who missed her mama and had seen a woman get shot right in front of her shouldn't be left in the dark. So he left a low wattage lamp burning in the corner despite his boss' instructions and prayed that Chris would never find out. He had every intention of sneaking back down to the cellar and turning it off before dawn. He also left a snack of toast and jam and a small glass of water in a plastic cup on a tray.

Frankie cautiously approached the cot where Sadie was still glued to Marshall's chest, both of them breathing in unison, the tear streaks still fresh on her cheeks.

"Sadie? You should eat something."

Without opening her eyes, she shook her head against Marshall's chest. "No. Star sick – make better – then Sadie eat," she whispered.

Frankie sighed. "Does your arm hurt?"

Sadie squeezed her eyes shut tighter. "Yes."

Frankie's heart constricted. "I'll be right back – I'll get some medicine to make you feel better."

Her eyes flew open. "Star too?"

Frankie paused. _I guess aspirin wouldn't hurt anything – _"I'll bring Star some medicine too – but only if you promise to eat."

Sadie gave him a small smile. "Okay."

Fortunately the first aid kit was in the kitchen at the top of the stairs, so Frankie was only gone for a couple of minutes and he didn't run into Chris. When he came back, he saw that Sadie was sitting up on the cot, nibbling on a piece of toast.

Frankie smiled. "I'm glad to see you eating. Here's some medicine to make you feel better."

She shook her head. "Star first."

He sighed. "Okay, you can help me by getting the cup from the tray."

Sadie scampered off the cot and Frankie got behind Marshall's head, propping him up underneath his armpits.

"Whaa-" Marshall moaned groggily.

Sadie climbed onto the cot next to him. Frankie palmed two aspirin and opened his mouth.

"Swallow," he ordered

Marshall tried but nearly gagged, his mouth was so dry.

"Give him a sip of water, girl, slowly," Frankie said.

Using her left arm, Sadie held the cup to his lips, and Marshall greedily took one sip and then another.

"That's enough," Frankie said. "Anymore and he'll be sick."

Sadie took the cup away and watched as Frankie lowered Marshall back to the mattress.

"Star get well now?"

Frankie sighed, wishing it was such an easy fix as that. But the truth of the matter was, the bullet was most likely still inside his leg and every minute it remained, it was doing more damage and infection was setting in. But he wanted this little girl to feel better and to eat so-

"Yes," Frankie lied.

Sadie dropped the cup, and threw her good arm around Frankie. "Thank you! I knew you were good."

Frankie swallowed, tasting the bile in his throat. "Come on, it's time for your medicine now."

* * *

Sleep was impossible.

Mary tossed and turned for an hour before she gave up and reached for the TV remote, hoping the sound of infomercials would loll her into a stupor that would lead to the land of Nod. But as the reflection from the screen danced off the ceiling and walls of the darkened hotel room, her mind kept drifting to Marshall: his eyes, his hands, his mouth. Her fingers reached up and played with the St Jude medallion that once again hung around her neck. It was a little worse for the wear and she had been surprised when Captain Kliss said she could have it – but then he had said he knew where it was if he needed it.

She tried to imagine how she would be feeling if this had happened before they had slept together – if she had been vacationing in Mexico and had gotten the news that Marshall had been abducted. How would she have felt? Would she still feel this overwhelming sense of loss – like she did when he was shot a couple of years ago? She remembered how she had fallen to pieces at the hospital in her mother's arms . . . and how she had just brushed it aside later as the emotional letdown from the case.

_God, I was so blind all these years to what was right in front of me – he could have walked out that door and left me so many times. I wouldn't have blamed him if he did._

"You're over thinking again, Mer."

She turned her head to see her partner stretched out beside her on the bed in his boxers, his head propped on one hand, grinning.

She collapsed back against the pillows, sinking down into their softness. "Why did you stay with me?"

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "You really don't know?"

She shook her head.

"Because I love you."

She frowned. "But I didn't love you."

"Don't remind me."

She put a hand on his chest to comfort him, reassured by the warmth and the steady beat of his heart beneath her fingertips. "I mean, why put yourself through the torture of Raph, Epps, Faber-"

He sighed. "I don't need a who's who list of your conquests, Mer. I was there, remember?"

"So why-"

He lifted a hand and ran it through her hair, stopping to caress her cheekbone. "For this moment."

"I don't understand, Marshall."

He pounced, rolling her underneath him. "For the dream of this moment, you and me, together like this."

Her mouth fell open and he took advantage, pushing his tongue inside to mate with hers. She felt her blood pressure rising as their fingers interlaced and her upper body rose to meet his. When he pulled away to let them both catch a breath, she gasped, "But what if it had never happened?"

He frowned down at her. "You're thinking too much again."

She trembled. "I can't help it - I'm scared."

"Of what?" he whispered as he peppered her neck with kisses.

She shivered, as fear and desire warred for dominance. Her fingers grasped the side of his head, pulling him back up until they were eye to eye. "Of losing you now that we're-"

He grinned. "Lovers?"

She nodded as her eyes clamped shut. "Yes."

"Never gonna happen – have a little faith, Mer." He chuckled, his warm breath fanning her skin. "Open your eyes, beautiful."

With a smile, Mary opened her eyes and gasped. She was alone in her motel room, the only sound the constant drone of the TV infomercial, Marshall's words from her dream ringing in her ears.

_Have a little faith, Mer._

* * *

Marshall felt a weight on his chest as his eyes fluttered open. The painful throbbing in his head kept time with the throbbing in his leg and for a long time he just lay there, trying to get his bearings. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious and he still felt like he had a fever, though he didn't think it was as high as it had been. He had no feeling in his right leg below the knee but the pain that lanced through his upper thigh more than made up for it.

When he finally managed to tilt his head and look down, he discovered that the weight on his chest was Sadie. She was sleeping soundly, one arm wrapped around Mr. Bear, but the other hung off the side of the cot at an unnatural angle. He frowned and felt his blood pressure rising as he saw the deep red hand print on her little arm and gritted his teeth to hold back his anger. What else had these monsters done while he had been out of commission? He had thought Sadie would be reasonably safe from harm since their abductors were most likely working for her father.

Marshall didn't know how long he could stay awake and he needed to know what was going on so with great reluctance he started to shake her.

"Sadie? Sadie girl, wake up."

She moaned and stirred, and when his fingers brushed her bruised arm she sat up with a cry. She sat blinking down at him sleepily for a moment or two before she threw herself back onto his chest. "Star! You better!"

He grunted from the impact. "Yes, I'm feeling a little better," he agreed, not mentioning the fact that he still had a bullet in his leg. "How are you, Sadie? What happened to your arm?"

Sadie looked at her right arm and tears filled her eyes. "Bad man – hurt Sadie."

Marshall clenched his jaw. "Why did he hurt you?"

"Sadie stay with Star."

His eyes drifted shut. "Oh Sadie girl – I don't want you getting hurt because of me. It's my job to protect you."

Sadie shook her head. "I protect you," she thumped her chest proudly. She set Mr. Bear down on his chest and opened the back of him, pulling out some of Marshall's origami stars. "Sadie put out window."

He frowned and then smiled. "You mean, you put these out the window of the van? After Chris kidnapped us?"

She nodded. "Grumpy find us – like story."

"Story – are you talking about Hansel and Gretel? The breadcrumbs in the forest?"

Sadie nodded again and pulled something else from Mr. Bear's stomach and put it Marshall's hand.

His cell phone.

He looked down at it in surprise. "How did you get your hands on this, Sadie girl?"

She screwed up her eyes in thought. "Sadie found – picked up."

The phone beeped in his hands and he saw that it was almost out of battery. There was no signal but hopefully Stan was already tracing their location.

"Call Grumpy," Sadie ordered.

"I can't, Sadie girl. There's no cell phone service out here."

Sadie's shoulders slumped in defeat and Marshall pulled her back down so he could kiss the top of her head. "You're a genius, Sadie girl. All the stuff you did while I wasn't able to help you. Grumpy will be here soon, don't you worry."

Sadie yawned and snuggled against his chest. "Good. Grumpy get bad man."

* * *

**Raise your hand if you think Mary's gonna beat the sh** out of Chris? Yeah, I think so too. Up next: the rescue. Reviews are L-O-V-E.**


	11. Rescue

**A/N: Here comes the cavalry :D**

* * *

"So, you're saying more origami stars have been found?"

Captain Kliss nodded as he sipped his morning coffee. "Yup. You know, it's amazing those little suckers weren't blown clear across the state, but every couple of miles or so, my men have found 'em along I-25 all the way to the Colorado border. Unbelievable, huh?"

_Have a little faith, Mer._

Mary shrugged. "Have a little faith, Captain. What about once they crossed the state line? Any trace of the stars then?"

"Well, I've notified CPD, of course, but looking for paper stars along the highway isn't high on their-"

"We're talking about kidnapping of a minor and a US Marshall for-"

"Easy, Mary," Stan soothed.

"Chief Inspector McQueen?" one of the police officers called. "You have a call on Line 2 – it's someone from your office."

"Must be Charlie, maybe he has news on Marshall's phone trace." Stan picked up the phone and hit Line 2 then speaker. "Go ahead, Charlie. I put you on speaker."

"Good morning, everybody! I've got great news. The trace came back on Marshall's phone – it's definitely still on – or it was until it died about an hour ago. Can you believe they didn't turn it off? I mean-"

"Charlie!" Stan and Mary yelled in unison.

"Oh right, sorry. The phone's location is Trinidad Lake State Park."

"That's a large park with lots of remote areas," Kliss put in. "You can't narrow it down further?"

"Did I say I was finished?" Charlie laughed. "The signal is coming from an area on the map labeled 'Madrid Reservoir'."

Kliss had pulled out a state map of Colorado while Charlie was talking and he jabbed a thumb on the location. "I'll get on the horn to the CPD – now it's top priority."

"I'll call the feds," Mary said as she ran to another extension.

"Bring 'em home, Chief," Charlie said.

"Will do, Kid," Stan promised as he signed off.

* * *

"We're sure this is it?" Stan asked as the team looked at the cabin from a safe vantage point.

Agent Cain of the FBI nodded. "We've had this area under surveillance for some time, thinking it had to be part of the West Coast operations for the Forelli family but we haven't been able to catch anyone with the goods."

Mary lowered her binoculars. "It doesn't look heavily fortified or have any extra security patrolling the grounds."

"Well, they wouldn't want to attract any unwanted attention from the tourists, would they? I mean, with Trinidad Lake right there? It's too risky."

"What if they're not here? Do you have any other possibilities?"

Agent Cain nodded. "There is one other cabin a few more miles further in but this one has better access to the road and better visibility for people coming and going. I'm telling you, Inspectors, this is it."

* * *

Chris looked up when Frankie entered, the aroma of soup preceding him.

"Is it lunch time? I'm not really hungry."

"You should eat something, boss. Isn't that what you keep telling Sadie?"

Chris scowled. "And how is her highness today?"

Frankie shrugged. "Ok, I guess. She still isn't eating."

"Nothing?"

"She ate a couple bites of toast last night after-" Frankie stopped, realizing what he was going to say.

"After what?" Chris eyes narrowed, picking up on his underling's embarrassment. "Frankie, what did you do?"

"Nothing, boss! Well, not much anyway. She wasn't eating and her arm was hurting from where you – well, you know. And I needed to give her some medicine for the pain and she refused saying she only would if I would give her friend some first so-" he swallowed nervously.

"What did you give him?" Chris ground out between clenched teeth.

"Just aspirin, boss. And only that one time."

He glared at Frankie for a minute before shrugging. "Oh well, I suppose that's okay. I mean, the man's got a bullet in his leg. It's not like he's going to suddenly be ready to get up and plan an escape because you gave him aspirin."

Frankie grinned, relieved. "No, boss."

"When does Gina get here?" Chris asked, effectively changing the subject as he took a bite of his sandwich.

"In an hour."

Chris grimaced. "I suppose we better have Sadie back in her room by then. My loving wife won't be happy to know we're keeping the little princess in the cellar."

Frankie shook his head. "Should I do something about her arm? Put it in a sling, maybe?"

Chris thought for a moment. "No, let Gina do that when she gets here. Now, go see if you can get the brat to eat some lunch."

* * *

Sadie was scared again. Star had fallen asleep and she couldn't wake him. He was shivering and muttering Grumpy's name in his sleep. The phone had stopped beeping and was no longer working.

The light snapped on and she shoved the phone back inside Mr. Bear as she heard heavy footsteps on the stairs. When Frankie appeared and set a food tray on the stairs, her tummy rumbled in hunger.

"Time for lunch," Frankie smiled.

"Star first," she said.

Frankie looked at the unconscious man. "I think he needs to sleep more than eat."

"Star sick again. You make better," Sadie ordered.

Frankie blanched. "I can't."

She shook her head. "Sadie no eat."

"Mary," Marshall murmured.

Sadie turned back to Star and wrapped her good arm around his neck, pressing her cool cheek to his hot one.

"You bad man," she whispered to Frankie.

From upstairs there was a terrible crash that shook the small cabin.

"FBI – freeze!"

Frankie ran for the stairs as Sadie smiled and whispered to Star:

"Grumpy here."

* * *

In the study, Mary and Stan were holding their guns on a stunned Chris as the FBI checked the two upstairs bedrooms.

"Hey Stan, I think we found our leak," Mary grinned.

"You wish," Chris sneered. "This is so much bigger and goes so much deeper than you could ever imagine."

Mary rolled her eyes. "What, do you guys all watch the same bad cheesy mafia movies? Now, where are Sadie and Marshall?"

"Boss- what-"

Movement behind her caused Mary to whirl and train her gun on the line backer charging into the room like a bull and she flinched in surprise.

"Whoa! I was wrong, Stan. There is some security on the grounds."

Frankie raised his hands. "Please don't shoot, lady. Frankie don't like guns."

With a great deal of effort, Mary kept from groaning aloud as she motioned him to join Chris. "Great security detail, jackass. Now, let's go over this one more time – where's the girl?"

"Down here, Inspectors!" Agent Cain called from the cellar.

"Grumpy!" Sadie cried.

Mary's throat constricted as she looked at Stan, who nodded at her to go. But the moment her back was turned, she felt the floor shake. Whirling back around she saw Frankie charging Stan and Chris reaching for his desk drawer. Stan clubbed Frankie on the back of his head with the butt of his gun, knocking him unconscious as Mary leveled her gun at Chris.

"Give me a reason, jackass," she growled.

Chris scowled, pulling out his gun as Mary fired hers. The shot hit him in the upper shoulder, knocking him back into the bookcases.

"GRUMPY!" Sadie screamed.

Mary backed towards the door. "You got this, Stan?"

He nodded. "Go."

* * *

Mary thundered down the wooden steps, barely clearing the last one before she felt an arm wrap around her legs.

"Grumpy," Sadie sobbed. "You came."

Mary swallowed the lump of emotion in her throat. "Of course I came, kiddo. I had to get the bad guys and rescue you and Marshall, didn't I?" She ran her fingers through the rat's nest of Sadie's hair, taking in the dirt, tear tracks, and dark circles. "Did they hurt you?"

Sadie trembled against her legs. "My arm."

Mary dropped into a crouch, noticing for the first time how Sadie's right arm was dangling uselessly at her side, and the red handprint on her delicate skin. Anger flamed inside of her as she looked into Sadie's eyes. "Nowhere else?" she asked, her tone insistent.

"No – but Star hurt bad," she said, tugging on Mary's hand.

Mary stood and for the first time her eyes flew across the floor to the dingy cot in the corner on which her partner lay, his body obscured by the FBI agent leaning over him. Swallowing her fear, she took Sadie's good hand and crossed over to his side.

Agent Cain looked up at her approach. "He's alive, Inspector. Bullet's still in his leg – I think it's nicked the femoral artery but I'm no doctor. I've already radioed for medical transport for him and Sadie. Chopper should be here in fifteen to take you to Denver."

Mary nodded. "I'm going with them."

Cain nodded. "Of course. I'll let your boss know." He surrendered his place to her and went back upstairs, leaving them alone with Marshall.

She sat carefully beside him on the sagging cot and picked up one of his hands, trying not to flinch at how hot his skin was to the touch. She smoothed some of his hair back from his forehead. Sadie scampered up onto the cot and sat on the other side of him, next to the wall.

"Mary," he murmured.

"I'm here, Marshall."

"Mary," he murmured.

Sadie tugged on Mary's sleeve. "Kissy kissy," she said.

Mary flushed. "I don't think so, Kiddo. He doesn't even know I'm here right now."

Sadie frowned and gave her a little push. "Kissy kissy," she repeated, more firmly this time.

Because she needed the contact after fearing she might have lost him, and because there was still a little girl inside of her that wanted to believe she could awaken her prince with a kiss, Mary leaned down and touched her lips to his. She flinched at how hot they were, but at the same time, her blood warmed to feel them against her own again – in reality this time, and not in a dream. When she pulled back, she gasped to see his eyes were open and looking at her, glassy with fever.

"Mer?" he whispered hoarsely. "Is that really you – or am I hallucinating?"

She laughed softly. "Of course it's me, Doofus. Have a little faith."

Off his puzzled look, she leaned down and kissed him again.

Behind them, Sadie giggled. "No kissy kissy."

* * *

From a safe vantage point five miles away, Gina lowered her field glasses and picked up her burn phone. She tapped her fingernails in irritation as she waited.

"Hello?"

"It's me."

"Problem?"

Gina laughed. "I'll say there's a problem. The feds just raided the cabin at Trinidad."

The voice on the other end muttered curses. "Chris and Frankie?"

"Captured, of course."

"And Sadie?"

"Back in the protective custody of the US Marshals."

There was a pause before the voice continued. "You know, I don't know why Tony didn't come to you instead of your husband-"

Gina laughed bitterly. "Because he's a male chauvinist pig, that's why."

"Well, I'm not going to make the same mistake."

"As my brother, you're a little biased."

"No, as your brother, I just know what you're capable of. Now, do you know where they're taking Sadie?"

* * *

Twenty-four hours.

Mary rubbed her eyes wearily. She couldn't wrap her mind around how much had happened within the past twenty-four hours. Marshall and Sadie had been abducted, shot, emotionally and physically abused, and then rescued. As she downed her third cup of bad hospital coffee, she glanced again at the sleeping girl. Sadie was curled up on one of the sofas in the waiting room, her right upper arm in a splint, the sling on a table in front of her. The doctor had said that it was a mid-shaft humerus fracture – and the only thing to do was wait for it to heal. He had prescribed children's Tylenol for the pain and given Mary a splint and sling and sent them on their way.

Mary wanted to break Chris' neck – if not for Sadie's arm, then most definitely for her partner's leg.

Marshall had been rushed straight to trauma and shortly afterwards to surgery. He had been given a pint and a half of blood. The bullet had nicked the femoral artery, just as Agent Cain had suspected, and was still in his leg. Mary had been pacing and praying for hours when the door from the patient wing finally whooshed open and Dr. McNailley came out, the front of his gown fresh with blood.

"Family of Marshall Mann?"

"I'm his partner and – his next of kin, Mary Shannon."

"Please sit down, Miss Shannon."

She blanched and swayed on her feet. "Is he-"

Dr. McNailley reached out a steadying hand. "He's fine, Miss Shannon."

Mary collapsed into a chair. "Don't scare me like that."

"His recovery will be a long one, however. That bullet was inside his leg almost a full day, without the benefit of antibiotics or the wound being cleansed. He's one very lucky man that you reached him when you did. Otherwise the infection would have spread and we might have had to amputate his leg below the knee."

Mary swallowed heavily and tears swam behind her eyes. _Yup, I definitely should have killed Chris when I had the chance. If I ever see that bastard again, I'm going to. . . ._

"Miss Shannon?"

"I'm sorry, you were saying?"

"Just that he was already coming around when I left recovery and he was asking for you."

Mary smiled. "How soon can he travel?"

Dr. McNailley frowned. "I don't think it's wise to move him for a couple of days at the earliest. That wound needs a chance to finish closing up and he's on a pretty heavy round of antibiotics."

"We can't stay here, doctor. Too many people knew this is where we were headed – isn't there any way we can transport him to a new location and I can be shown how to care for him?"

Dr. McNailley's frown deepened. "Well, we could induce a coma – but it's risky. You'd need to sign a waiver so the hospital wouldn't be held responsible."

Mary nodded. "Of course. Thank you."

* * *

Stan stood with Mary at the small airport on the outskirts of Denver, handing her the new ID's and other necessary credentials.

"Promise you'll be in touch?"

"Of course, Stan. As soon as he wakes up, I'm sure Marshall will want to give you a full debrief of what happened."

Stan nodded. "Looks like you're getting your wish to go with him."

She watched as the medical personnel loaded an unconscious Marshall into the plane and sighed. "I never wanted it to be this way, Stan, and you know it. But we're partners and I think you know that there's no one else I trust to watch his back – especially now."

Sadie came bounding over, releasing Alison's hand. "Go now?" she asked as she grabbed Mary's hand.

Mary looked Alison, seeing the conflicting emotions in her eyes. "Are you-"

"I'm fine, Inspector. Just – be careful," she cleared her throat and walked away.

Mary turned back to Stan. "I'm sorry I can't stay and help you find the leak, Stan."

"Keeping Marshall and Sadie safe is top priority now, too," Stan insisted. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Be safe."

Mary saluted him. "Will do."

Behind them, the airplane engines roared to life.

"Stan?"

"Yes, Mary?"

Her eyes darted to where Alison was watching them from the hangar. "Keep an eye on her. I still don't trust her."

"Don't worry, Mary. Aside from Charlie, the only two people I do trust are getting on a plane bound for an unknown location."

"Careful, chief," Mary wagged a finger at him. "You're starting to sound like me." She and Sadie turned to run for the plane.

"God forbid!" Stan called after them.

* * *

**A/N : So who's Gina? And who's she talking to? And what about Sadie's mom, Carmen - is she going to wake up? **

**For those of you who might be thinking we're in the home stretch - we're not! We're only about halfway through. Reviews are LOVE!**


	12. Hawaii

**A/N: So I know some of you are wondering why the hell Mary didn't kill Chris in the last chapter - and my answer is: if she had known that he had broken Sadie's arm and that he had shot Marshall, she probably would have. But hey, she did shoot him! :D **

**And now - on to Act Two!**

* * *

**FOUR DAYS LATER**

Marshall's eyes opened and he looked around the bedroom in confusion. _Where am I? This isn't my bedroom – or Mary's – or that awful cellar – did they move me to one of the bedrooms upstairs? Did Mary really find us or did I dream that? This doesn't look like a hospital room – rehabilitation center, maybe?_

Marshall moved his head carefully, remembering all too well that the last time he had attempted that simple movement his head had throbbed in pain. But to his surprise and pleasure, there was no throbbing, no pain. Just some stiffness in his neck muscles from a lack of movement. How long had he been lying here, anyway? He lifted a hand and saw the IV and wondered if he was getting saline, medicine, or food through the intravenous line – or perhaps all three.

He cleared his throat. "Hello?" he called croakily. "Mary? Sadie? Anybody?"

Silence met his words – silence and – were those gulls and the ocean he heard in the distance? He turned his head towards the window, where the white lacy curtains were billowing in the breeze, inhaling deeply. Yes, definitely the tastes of the sea and not fresh water like the air at the cabin where he and Sadie had been held. With a grunt, Marshall placed his hands on the bedspread and pushed himself up to a sitting position, and looked down at his heavily bandaged right leg.

Well, at least it was all still there. He had been genuinely afraid when he had lost all feeling below the knee and the infection had set in. As the hours had ticked by and he had lain sweating with fever on that cot, he had tried to think about life with one leg – being a US Marshal with one leg. But then his fevered mind would drift and he would picture Mary rescuing them, falling on him and showering him with kisses and then suddenly she was there. At least, he thought she was. He reached up and touched his lips, but as he did, his fingers brushed against something cool around his neck. Mary's medallion! But how- he remembered Chris ripping it off him and throwing it in the car before-

"Mary!" he called. "Where are you?"

There was still no answer and he was getting frustrated by the empty room. His eyes landed on a pair of crutches leaning against the wall. _Am I strong enough to try those out?_ _How am I going to manage with a pair of crutches and an IV pole?_

Determined to try, he carefully swung his good leg to the floor, placing his foot on the floorboards, being more careful with his bandaged leg. Thanking God for his long arms, he reached out and snagged the pair of crutches, using them to support his weight as he stood. He felt dizzy and slightly out of breath just from standing, but he refused to be defeated. _This is ridiculous. I'm as weak as a newborn calf! _He shoved the crutches under his arms and took a step forward, then two.

He paused to regain his breath and bring his IV pole up to where he was leaning against the wall. Suddenly he heard the sound of giggles and a door open and shut.

He straightened and took another step forward, "Hey, Mary-" he said, as his foot got tangled in his IV line and he went down like a ton of bricks.

The bedroom door flew open and he was surrounded by two pairs of feet, one big and one little.

"Oh my God, Marshall, how did you get out of bed?" Mary exclaimed.

"Star! You up!" Sadie cried.

"No, Kiddo, technically he's down," Mary laughed as she lowered her face to his. "You okay?"

"Very funny," he said dryly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing's hurt but my pride."

"Sadie, go get Marshall's chariot."

"Ok!" Sadie ran out.

"Are you sure you're ok? You didn't tear open-" Mary's hands were running over his bandaged leg in concern.

He reached out and placed his hands over hers. "I'm fine – better than fine, now that I see you. You're a sight for sore eyes, Mer."

"Oh," Mary bit back a sob as she wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his neck. "Don't ever scare me like that again, Marshall Mann."

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head as he saw Sadie returning with his wheels. "Ah, that looks much safer for me right now, especially with this IV pole."

Sadie held the chair while Mary got behind him and put her hands under his arms.

"Ready?" she asked.

He nodded and together they maneuvered him into the wheelchair. Sadie jumped into his lap.

"Ride?" she asked.

"No way, I'm not pushing both of you, Kiddo," Mary shook her head.

Sadie held up the arm that was in a splint and pouted.

Mary groaned and began to push. "She just leans on that like a crutch, let me tell you," she whispered in her partner's ear.

Years of working together had honed Mary and Marshall's relationship to the point where they could hold entire conversations without words. So while Mary pulled a light lunch together and Sadie chattered away to Marshall about the beach, the partners communicated silently with their eyes.

_Are you sure you're all right?_

He squeezed her hand in passing. _I'm fine, please stop fussing over me. _His eyes darted to Sadie's arm and back to Mary's eyes.

_She's ok, Marshall._

He swallowed heavily, the fear that Chris had hurt her somewhere he couldn't see made him so angry he clenched his jaw.

Her eyes met his, reassuring him. _No, he didn't touch her. Not that way._

His eyes fluttered shut in relief.

"Star!" Sadie poked a finger in his chest. "Listen!' she demanded.

Mary laughed as she set down a platter of pineapple. "Go easy on him, Kiddo. He's still recovering, ok? He's bound to still be really tired."

Sadie tilted her head in confusion. "Star sleepy?"

Marshall stifled a yawn. "Yes, Sadie girl. But I'll try and eat something first."

Mary had made him a protein fruit smoothie and he sipped it slowly as he watched the two of them devour sandwiches and fresh fruit.

"So, which island are we on?" he smiled at his partner.

"What makes you think we're still in the States?"

He snorted. "You really expect me to believe that Stan would let you take Sadie outside the U.S.?"

She smiled. "Maui."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Good choice – not as busy as the Big Island or Oahu – but we still have access to an airport for a quick getaway if we need it."

She brushed the bread crumbs from her fingers. "That's the idea – though I hope we've finally lost our tail." She looked over to see Sadie nodding off at her place. "Oops, nap time."

She scooped up the drowsy girl and held her close. "I'll be right back, partner."

He listened to the sound of Mary humming lightly as she retreated down the hall and it wasn't five minutes later before she was back, clearing away the remnants of lunch.

"Aside from the arm fracture, Chris didn't hurt her physically, Marshall – but that little girl is carrying some deep emotional scars," Mary sighed as she began to wash the few dishes. "Was Sadie close to Elle when she got shot?"

Marshall dropped his head into his hands. "Yes, I believe she was. Elle had taken her off the road into the bushes to go potty. Chris and I waited by the car – I heard gun shots and Sadie scream –" Marshall began to shake and he stopped to clear his throat.

Mary set the dish she was drying down and came back to the table, reclaiming her seat and taking his hands in hers.

"I turned to run to her but Chris stopped me with his gun – we fought for control of it and I got shot – everything after that is blurry, bits and pieces, filled with the sound of Sadie's screams. I failed her, Mer. I was supposed to protect her and I never saw the bastard coming – and then later while I was lying helpless on that cot, he broke her arm! What a pathetic-"

"Stop it!" Mary cried, grabbing his face and forcing him to look her in the eye. "You are just as much the victim here as Sadie. Chris and whoever else helped him ambush you – I didn't see him for who he was either – so I failed you too."

He was shaking his head in her hands. "Mer, that's crazy-"

"Yes, it is. I blame myself, you blame yourself, and I'm sure that when Carmen wakes up, she'll blame herself – so there's more than enough blame to go around here. Let's stop playing the blame game and focus on our job, ok?"

He swallowed heavily, his breathing ragged. "Sadie."

She nodded. "And nailing the bad guys."

He slumped wearily against her, the fight and energy leaving him faster than he could believe possible. She stroked his back and smiled as his breathing began to even out.

"Sounds like it's nap time for you too."

"Only if you take one with me."

"I should call Stan; let him know you're awake. He's been worried sick."

Marshall brushed his lips against the skin of her neck and she shivered. "Later, right now I need to be tucked in by my own private nurse."

* * *

Mary hadn't intended to fall asleep but being back in Marshall's arms, with the sound of the waves in the background, soon lulled her into a light doze.

"GRUMPY!"

Sadie's scream jolted both partners awake, Marshall's arms dropping away as Mary flew from the bed.

"Mer, what-" Marshall said sleepily.

"Marshall, I've got it. Go back to sleep," she called over her shoulder as she ran into Sadie's room.

Sadie was sitting up in her bed, clutching Mr. Bear and crying. As soon as she saw Mary, Sadie began to cry harder. Mary sat on the edge of the bed and Sadie threw her good arm around Mary's neck.

"Shh," Mary soothed. "You're okay. It was just a bad dream."

Sadie trembled in her arms. "Bad man came – took Sadie."

Mary swallowed, knowing that Sadie's fears were well founded since she had been abducted once already from their protective custody. "I won't let anyone take you away again, Kiddo."

Sadie pulled back to look up at Mary, tear tracks fresh on her face. "Grumpy promise?" She held out her pinky finger. "Pinky promise?"

Mary smiled, remembering how many times she had made these very same promises with her baby sister growing up. She hooked her own pinky finger around Sadie's. "Yeah, Kiddo, pinky promise."

Sadie snuggled close and it was only then that Mary felt the wetness on the sheets and Sadie's clothing. She scooped the little girl up and headed for the bathroom.

"Bath time," she announced.

Sadie hung her head. "Sadie had accident. Sorry, Grumpy."

Mary set her down on the closed toilet seat and turned on the faucet. "It's ok, Kiddo. Don't worry about it. Do you want bubbles?"

* * *

"It's been a week, Chief. Do you think Carmen's going to wake up?" Charlie asked as he handed his boss another file to sign.

Stan sighed and scrubbed a hand across his face. "I'm not a doctor, Kid. Some people have lingered in comas for years before waking up."

"I don't think the state of New York is going to wait years for Carmen's testimony, Sir."

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Inspector."

Stan and Charlie turned to see Alison and AUSA Tippy in the office doorway.

Tippy rolled himself into Stan's office. "Tell me you have some good news."

Charlie mumbled an excuse and left, closing the door behind him. Stan sat down and steepled his fingers, giving the other man a thoughtful stare. "What exactly qualifies as 'good news'?"

"Tell me that Carmen's awake and ready to testify."

"I thought you overheard enough of my conversation with Charlie to understand that she's not."

Tippy cursed. "Then at least tell me you've got Tony in custody."

Stan shook his head. "No, Tony is still out there – somewhere. The feds do have Gino and Chris, the man who abducted Sadie and Marshall."

Tippy grunted. "Is it true that the man really is a US Marshal?"

Stan grimaced. "Yes, unfortunately. It's still unknown what his connection to the Forelli family is – if he's merely an informant in their pay or if he has more intimate ties to them."

"Any more 'good' news? Have you found your leak?"

Stan shook his head again. "No, we're still looking for the identity of the third man who was seen at the train station with Tony and Gino-"

As Stan was talking, Alison handed Tippy a blow-up photo of the unknown man.

"This is the man you're looking for?" Tippy asked in disbelief. "But – I know him!"

Stan shot to his feet. "What? How?"

The photo shook in Tippy's hand. "He's my summer intern – he's a third year law student from Georgetown University. He's worked for me for three years now. Are you telling me you evidence linking him with Tony Forelli?"

Stan had thrown open his office door while Tippy was talking. "Charlie!" he yelled. "Get me that video from Lamy station on the double!" He turned back to the AUSA and pinned him with his gaze. "What's his name?"

"Well, if he's involved with the Forelli family, it's probably an alias-"

"Name!" Stan barked.

Tippy swallowed. "Stephen Nichols."

* * *

Gina surveyed the dingy bar with an appraising eye, noting that her brother did always pick the most undesirable locations in which to meet. She crossed her legs, letting her short skirt ride higher on her thighs, giving the men at the bar a nice view. She flashed a smile at one particularly attractive man and tossed her flame red hair over one shoulder, taking a deep drag of her cigarette.

She was digging in her purse for her compact, when a shadow fell over her.

"Can I refresh your drink, pretty lady?"

She looked up through lowered lids, letting her eyes take in the appealing physique in front of her. _Hm, tall, lean, and just enough drink in him to be relaxed – the perfect combination. _Running her tongue across her lips to moisten them, she smiled.

"I'd love another, thank you."

The man signaled the bartender and just as a fresh drink appeared in front of her, she felt a pair of hands wrap around her hips.

"Making new friends, are we, Gina?"

She looked up into her brother's face, the anger clearly evident in his eyes. Sticking her lip out in a slight pout, she said, "I was just passing the time while I waited for you."

"Well, I'm here now." He clamped one hand around her wrist, pulling her off the stool.

Gina turned her head to say good bye, but the man had already melted back into the crowd and she sighed. Grabbing her drink, she allowed her brother to lead her to a corner booth. Before she slid into the seat, she smacked him on the chest.

"Why do you always do that, Stevie? Ruin my fun?" she pouted as she slipped across the sticky vinyl bench.

Stefano smirked at his sister as he slid into the booth across from her. "Because you seem to forget you're married – for better or worse, remember?"

Gina moaned. "Oh, it's definitely worse. But at least he's locked up at the moment – and the feds can throw away the key for all I care."

Stefano chuckled. "So, what's the word?"

Gina straightened her shoulders and suddenly became all business, any trace of the seductive siren long gone. "They left Denver four days ago, stopped to refuel in San Francisco and then took off for a destination unknown."

Stefano frowned. "They had to tell the control tower something."

Gina nodded. "They had a flight plan filed for Seattle – but they didn't go there – I checked."

He nodded thoughtfully. "What's your gut say?"

Gina took a sip of her drink, letting the alcohol burn the back of her throat. "Since they stopped to refuel in Frisco – I'm thinking they either doubled back on their tracks and flew across the country or flew to-"

"Hawaii," Stefano finished, nodding in agreement.

"That would be my guess. But they could be on any of the islands – would they stick to the public, touristy places or go for a more remote location?" Gina shrugged. "Perhaps we should just wait and see if Carmen wakes up. After all, there won't be a trial if she doesn't-"

"Except now thanks to your husband's bumbling we've got US Marshals on our tail."

"Hey, it was your idea for me to marry Chris in the first place!"

"And I think we can both agree that he's proved to be invaluable, yes?"

With some reluctance, Gina nodded. "So what are we going to do? We still need Sadie as leverage with Tony."

"Exactly," Stefano nodded. "So it looks like you're on your way to Hawaii."

"What do you want me to do if I find them?"

"Nothing – just call me. Understand?"

"Of course."

Stefano leaned across the table and brushed a kiss across Gina's forehead. She grabbed his collar before he could pull back. "Stevie?" she swallowed nervously. "How's Gino? Have you seen him?"

"I caught a glimpse of him before the feds picked him up – and he gave me our secret signal. He's fine, Fiorello. You don't have to worry about our baby brother, capisci?"

Gina nodded, a single tear escaping and falling down her pale cheek.

Stefano caught it with his thumb and kissed her forehead again. "Good. Now scoot, you have a plane to catch."

* * *

_**Italian words: **_

_**Fiorello- Little Flower**_

_**Capisci: Do you understand**_

* * *

**Up next: What happens when Mary and Marshall have their first argument since becoming intimate? Reviews are LOVE.**


	13. Is it worth it?

Marshall had dozed off again by the time Mary returned to the bedroom and he heard her opening and closing drawers. He cracked one eye open and then opened the other to enjoy the view of her clad in just her underwear as she hunted for fresh clothes.

"Everything ok?"

She whirled at the sound of his voice, dropping the tank top to the floor, and he felt his blood pressure shoot up another ten points.

"Geez, Marshall! I thought you'd gone back to sleep – you nearly gave me a heart attack." She bent down to pick up her shirt and he groaned as he caught a tantalizing view of her cleavage. She glanced up at him quickly. "What's the matter? Are you in pain?"

"Yes."

The shirt forgotten, she crossed to the bed. "Where- your leg?"

With lightning quick reflexes, he pulled her into his arms, back onto the bed. "Are you trying to kill me – parading around in your unmentionables like this?"

She laughed. "Unmentionables? Have you been reading your 'How to speak like an Elizabethan' book again?"

"'Behold, what light-"

She silenced him with her lips. "That's Shakespeare, Doofus."

"So? He was an Elizabethan."

She rolled her eyes. "I think I've been giving you too much pain medication – I better lower the dosage."

"This isn't the pain medication talking, Mer. This is me, a man desperately in love with you and finally able to express those feelings without fear of rejection."

Mary pressed her forehead to his as her stomach flip flopped. "Marshall-"

"Grumpy! Water cold!" Sadie's cry echoed down the hall.

Mary pressed another urgent kiss to his lips before leaping from the bed. "And this is just one reason why I never wanted kids." She pulled the tank top over her head.

Marshall quirked an eyebrow at her. "Mer, Sadie isn't our kid."

She snorted as she wrapped a skirt around her waist and knotted it at her right hip. "She might as well be."

The cell phone on the bedside table began to buzz. Mary gestured to it. "You might as well get it – I'm sure it's Stan." She smirked at him over her shoulder as she headed for the hall bathroom.

Checking the caller ID first to be sure, Marshall answered the phone on the third ring. "This is Marshall."

There was a brief pause before his boss' voice came through. "Marshall – how are you? It's good to hear your voice!"

Marshall grinned. "Thanks, Stan. I'm still a little out of it – just woke up for the first time a couple of hours ago. Mary was going to call you to let you know-"

"Where is she?"

Marshall heard the urgency in his boss' voice and was instantly on alert. "She's helping Sadie with a bath at the moment. What's up, Stan - is Carmen-"

"There's been no change, Marshall."

He sighed. "How long has it been? I don't even know how long I've been asleep."

"We rescued you and Sadie four days ago – so Carmen's been in her coma for a week."

"I've been asleep for four days?" he asked incredouslessly.

"Yeah, but the difference is that we had the hospital induce your coma for transport and Carmen-" Stan's voice trailed off.

Dread bitter and cold settled in the pit of Marshall's stomach. He had done tons of medical research when Mary was shot and lay unconscious in the hospital. He knew the statistics of people waking from comas after seventy-two hours was not good. Down the hall, he could hear Sadie trying to hum 'Down by the Bay' and was reminded of her birthday party. That was only a week ago? It seemed like a lifetime.

"Marshall? Did I lose you?"

"No, I'm here, Stan. Was there a reason you called – do you have news?"

"Yeah, I do – but I'd like to share it with both of you. Can you call me back after you get Sadie settled with a movie or something?"

As if she had heard her name, Sadie flew into the room, landing on the bed with a squeal of delight.

"Hi, Star!"

He looked into her smiling face, and marveled how she kept going after everything that had happened to her in the past week. He lifted an arm in invitation and she eagerly snuggled into his side as Marshall lifted his eyes to find Mary standing in the doorway, studying him.

"Yeah, Stan, we'll call you back ASAP." He hung up and flung the phone onto the bedspread, running his hand through his hair.

Mary's eyes spoke to him from the doorway. _Carmen's not-_

Marshall shook his head slightly and the relief filled her eyes, to be replaced with concern. Stan had called with news and her partner was now obviously upset.

A knock broke the silence and Sadie bounded up from the bed.

"Jacen!' she squealed as she ran from the room.

"Who the hell is Jacen?" Marshall growled.

Mary bit her lip. "Easy, tiger. You have absolutely no reason to worry about Jacen – he's Jenna's son."

"Jenna?" Marshall repeated blankly. "Who is- you don't mean **our **Jenna?"

He heard the front door of the bungalow open and close, followed by childish squeals.

"Mary?"

"Come on back, Jenna. Sleeping Beauty has finally decided to wake up."

Light footsteps came down the hall and a pixie, heart shaped face with light eyes and dark hair poked her head in.

"Marshall! It's wonderful to see you – awake that is!"

Marshall's mouth had dropped open in surprise and the women laughed at him. Jenna had been his and Mary's first witness together as partners. Shortly after testifying, she made the decision to leave witness protection and had moved to Hawaii to open-

"This is yours?" he finally gasped.

"Yes, it is," Jenna swept her hand around the bungalow, but managed to convey the rest of the property as well. "Welcome to J&J's Ohana B&B."

Marshall looked from one to the other, his mouth opening and closing.

"I think he's in shock," Mary explained.

Anger flared in Marshall. "Jenna, it is wonderful to see you and I'm looking forward to catching up but would you excuse us for a moment? I need to talk to my partner alone."

Jenna looked between the two of them in concern before shrugging her shoulders. "Sure, I'll go check on the kids." She left, closing the door behind her.

Mary turned to him, surprised at his rudeness. "Marshall, what-"

"Are you out of your mind?"

She reeled back at his words. "Excuse me?"

"Mary, we've got mafia hit men on our trail and you bring us to a former witness' home to hide out? Do you realize the danger you've put Jenna and her family in?"

"How dare you, Marshall Mann! Of course I realize the position I've put Jenna in – but when she heard we were on Maui, she insisted that we stay with her. She said that she owed us – she wanted to do this for you and me after all we did for her. It was never my intention to stay-"

"Then you should have tried harder – you should have said no. You've never had a problem saying that in the past."

Mary's face blanched, the cruel words hitting her like tiny knives around her heart. Marshall groaned, "I didn't mean-"

"You bastard," she whispered as she threw open the door and stalked out.

Jenna looked up in concern as Mary breezed into the living room.

"Grumpy?" Sadie said with a tremble in her voice.

Mary came over to run a hand over the girl's head. "I'll be back in a little while, Kiddo. I just need to be alone right now, ok?"

Sadie nodded as she hugged her fiercely around the waist.

Mary stood stock still for a moment before she awkwardly patted Sadie's back and peeled the little arms off. "Mind Jenna, you hear?"

Sadie nodded again and rejoined Jacen on the floor.

"Mary, is everything-"

"Can you keep an eye on her for awhile? I need to walk on the beach and clear my head."

Jenna bit her lip. "Sure. What about Marshall?"

Mary snorted. "Tell him to go back to sleep. He's much less trouble when he's unconscious."

* * *

"Can I get you anything? A glass of water – some toast?" Jenna asked from the doorway.

Marshall kept his back to her. "No, thank you, I'm fine."

He heard the door shut and after a minute he rolled to his back to stare up at the ceiling.

"What did you say to her?"

He jerked to a sitting position. "Geez, Jenna! What are you trying to do?"

"Knock a little sense back into you. What did you say to her?"

"It's personal."

She rolled her eyes. "No shit, Marshall. I gathered that from the way she flew out of here barely holding a grip on her emotions. I've never seen her so close to coming unglued and that's saying something since she's had a pretty full plate ever since she came to Maui."

He frowned at her. "What do you mean?"

Jenna perched on the side of the bed. "You're kidding, right? She was your round the clock nurse, giving you fluids and meds while at the same time taking care of a severely traumatized little girl. Sadie has had nightmares and bed wetting accidents, sometimes several times a night, and clings to Mary like a lifeline."

"Oh God," he moaned, closing his eyes. "I didn't think-"

"About what she was going through while you were sleeping?" Jenna nodded. "Yeah, I didn't think so. You know, Mary didn't come straight here. She was at a little dingy hotel on the other side of the island. Jacen and I just happened to see her and Sadie at the market. Over lunch, she gave me the bare facts and I pleaded and begged and wore her down. I told her I could help with your care and the kids could play and she could get some sleep. It took a lot of convincing on my part, Marshall-"

"I told her she shouldn't have come here – that she had no right to put you and your family in danger," he whispered.

"Then you are an idiot, Marshall Mann," Jenna snapped. "Because it was totally my decision to help and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Mary needed help and you were unconscious at the time. I know you're worried about the people after you, but hey, what's life without a little danger?"

"Jenna, these people mean business."

"And I know how to take care of myself – you and Mary taught me, remember?"

Marshall flashed a weak smile.

"Now, if I were you, I'd be resting and thinking of a way to grovel because you dug yourself a pretty deep hole with your partner."

* * *

Mary knew she couldn't sit out here on the beach forever but it was so nice to have some time to herself. She let the warm white sand trickle between her fingers and wiggled her toes, burying them further in the fine powder. Squinting at the glare of the sun on the water, she marveled again at the colors of the ocean. _I guess the Crayola people had it right all these year; the ocean really does come in those gorgeous shades of blue and green._

She reached up to play with the medallion around her neck only to remember she had given it back to Marshall. Her heart thumped painfully in her chest as she thought of her partner and the fight they'd just had. It wasn't like they hadn't had arguments before – she couldn't even remember how many times they had fought over the years. But all those disagreements seemed to pale in comparison to this one – this one had cut deeper, made a more lasting impression because they had finally crossed that line from partners to lovers. He had the ability now to hurt her on a whole different level.

_Was it worth it?_

She let more sand trickle through her fingers, the breeze catching it and blowing it further down the beach. The truth of the matter was he had scared her this afternoon when he had said that he could love her without fear of rejection. There was still so much fear inside of her that she didn't know if she could let herself love him – even though she thought she already might.

_But then he says something so hurtful and again I wonder – is it worth it?_

A sneaker wave came up and soaked her from the knees down, and she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

_Well, I guess I'm done hiding out here. We should call Stan back anyway._

* * *

"Mary, what happened?" Jenna gasped as Mary slipped in the back door.

"Wave," she shrugged, moving slowly as the bottom half of her skirt clung wetly to her legs.

Sadie giggled. "Bath time."

Mary stuck out her tongue. "Touché, Kiddo."

Marshall's eyes were closed when she slipped into the room but she knew he wasn't asleep. She saw the tears on his cheeks and her heart constricted but she refused to comfort him this time. He had been the one to say the hurtful words and if he now regretted him, she was glad. She moved towards the closet, dropping the wet skirt on the floor. As she reached for the robe on the hook, she heard him murmur,

"We need to talk."

"I know – but Stan is waiting for our call and right now, that's top priority." She belted the robe and turned to meet his eyes.

He nodded slightly. "When you're done with your shower, we'll call him. Then, you and I can talk?"

"Okay," she agreed. "I'll ask Jenna if she can take the kids out for burgers – that will give us some privacy."

* * *

"Hold on, you're telling us that this guy has been working in an AUSA's office for three years?" Marshall groaned. "Who exactly is this guy, Stan?"

"We're still working on that. Apparently Steven Nichols isn't his real name – or it isn't the one he was born with," Stan explained.

Mary and Marshall glanced at each other, the worry clearly evident between them. "So, any hunches whether this guy is family or just an informant?"

"Not yet."

Marshall bit back another groan of frustration.

"How's Carmen?" Mary interjected.

"No change – Alison's been taking most of the shifts and I'm really beginning to worry about her."

"Alison? Why would she be taking turns at security detail?" Marshall looked at his partner in confusion.

"You didn't tell him, Mary?" Stan asked.

Mary rolled her eyes. "He's only been awake for five hours, chief, give me a break!" She turned to face Marshall. "Carmen is Alison's biological daughter."

Marshall collapsed back on the bed. "You're kidding."

She shook her head.

"How did you- when-"

Stan broke in. "Mary will fill you in on all of that later – but now that we know the identity of the third man, you've really got to be on the lookout for him. And since he worked in Tippy's office, who knows how many other connections he made in those three years."

"Yeah, like with the US Marshal Service," Marshall said darkly, rubbing his leg.

"Exactly. I'll be in touch – take care of each other," Stan signed off.

Marshall set her phone back on the bedside table, meeting her eyes across the bed.

She cleared her throat as she jumped to her feet. "Hungry?"

"Not really."

"Well, I'm starving. So I'm going to fix myself something – you can rest for a few minutes and then-" she trailed off, her eyes darting nervously around the room.

He rescued her. "Do we have a deck?"

She nodded.

"Why don't you set up your feast and then come back for me? We'll talk outside."

* * *

"So you're telling me it was Sadie who left the paper star trail and hid your cell phone from Chris?" Mary asked, as she shoveled more potato salad in her mouth.

Marshall bit back a grin as he watched her eat. Even in the worst of times, Mary's appetite was the stuff of legends. He used to tease her that she didn't need to try and keep up with him in the eating department – since he could eat and eat and never gain weight. It was only as time went by in their partnership and he knew her better that he realized she was a comfort eater. The more stressed out she was, the more depressed or anxious, the more she ate. True, she did love food and naturally was a big eater. But he knew the signs of when she was comforting herself – like now.

_Because of what you said to her this afternoon. Way to go – she was right. You really are a bastard._

He shook off his thoughts and focused on the question she had asked him. "Yeah, Sadie's a real spitfire – kind of reminds me of you."

Instead of the grin he expected, Mary's eyes fell away from his, dropping back to her plate. The light breeze was blowing strands of damp hair in her face and he could smell the light scent of her cinnamon bath gel.

"Mary, I'm so-"

She jumped up. "I better put the rest of this food away before it attracts flies. Are you sure you're not hungry?" She began gathering dishes.

He reached out and gently placed a hand over her wrist, stilling her nervous movements. "The dishes can wait, Mer."

She shook her head, still not looking at him. "No, they can't. It's so warm here and the bugs-"

He laughed softly. "Since when did you become such a Martha Stewart?"

"While you were sleeping-" she gently disengaged herself from his grasp. "I had to be a lot of things."

Her words cut him to the quick. "We need to talk."

"I know – just – let me put some of the food away first, all right?"

He nodded and let her go.

Though her movements were hurried, Mary took her time putting the food away. Her hands were shaking and she felt light headed. The food she had eaten was now sitting in her stomach like a heavy lump and some of it was threatening to come back up. When she returned to the patio, Marshall was no longer at the little table. He had wheeled himself to the deck railing overlooking the ocean, his back to her.

"Come sit with me."

She smiled. He hadn't even turned his head, yet he had known she was there. Grabbing her chair from the table, she slowly approached the railing and set it by him.

Marshall spun his chair to face her as Mary sank into hers. He wheeled into her personal space, until their knees were touching and he reached out to hold her hands, drawing them into his lap.

"I'm so sorry for what I said to you this afternoon, Mary. I had no right to question the decisions you made while I was unconscious and unable to help you. I spoke those words out of fear – but that's no excuse. Can you forgive me?"

Mary's eyes had been fixed on their clasped hands during his apology. Slowly, she raised her eyes to his, glistening with unshed tears. "You hurt me."

He swallowed. "I know-"

"But we've had countless arguments before in our relationship where you've hurt me and none of them affected me like the one today. Do you know why?"

He nodded. "Because we're in love."

Mary gasped and released his hands but Marshall reached out and cupped her face before she could bolt.

"I haven't said-" she stammered.

"Just because you haven't verbalized the words to me doesn't mean your body hasn't."

Mary jumped to her feet, causing his wheelchair to roll back a couple of inches before Marshall stopped it.

"I think you're being awfully presumptuous to assume I'm feeling something for you that I haven't even admitted to myself yet!"

He smirked. "It's only a matter of time."

Her mouth dropped open. "Why, you cocky-"

He sighed. "Why are we fighting about this? I'm in love with you, Mary Shannon, and I'm trying to apologize for putting my colossal foot in my mouth this afternoon."

She sighed and her shoulders slumped as the fight went out of her. "Is this really worth it, Marshall?"

He felt his blood run cold as he wheeled over to where she was leaning against the railing. "What?" he whispered.

She pointed between the two of them. "This – you and me – moving from partners to lovers. I just didn't think it would be so hard."

He snorted. "You thought it would be easy? Was it easy with Raph or Faber?" he gritted his teeth, the names tasting bitter in his mouth.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Faber wasn't a relationship – it was just sex-"

"I really don't need the details, Sunshine. That's more than enough to paint a picture, believe me."

She grinned down at him.

"And Raph?" he prompted her. "You can't tell me it was easy with him – the guy you wouldn't even call your boyfriend for the first year you were dating?"

She grimaced. "No – he drove me crazy every other minute but I did love him – as a dear friend," she finished softly.

Marshall let her have a minute or two before he continued. "So, why did you think it would be easier with us?"

She threw up her hands in exasperation. "Because it's you! The man who knows everything about me from my favorite color to the fact that I hate cuddling in bed."

He smiled. "Except with me."

She narrowed her eyes. "That's a secret – and if you tell anyone, I'll deny it."

"But I'm also the man who drives you nuts with constant inane bits of trivia and doesn't put up with any of your shit."

She nodded. "Which is why I really don't want to screw this up – our partnership, our friendship. Today was a prime example – we're going to continue to have arguments but now I know you can hurt me more deeply than ever before-"

He reached out and took her hand. "It goes both ways, Mer. You have the same power over me – in fact, you've always had it. The only difference is, you're aware of it now."

She groaned as she sank onto his lap, being careful to keep most of her weight on his good leg. "So, is it really worth it?"

He trembled beneath her. "Only you can answer that."

* * *

**A/N: Poor Mary - she's had some time to think and she's beginning to freak out - what does this mean? Want to find out? Reviews are LOVE!**


	14. Awakened

Marshall ran his fingers through Mary's hair, the action drying the damp strands. He felt her breaths evening out, getting slower and deeper against his neck, and even though he was starting to lose feeling below the knee, short of another hit man coming through the door, he wouldn't have disturbed her for the world. He knew that this one moment in time was tenuous and fragile – that any minute it could burst like a bubble and she would wake up and withdraw from him. Their conversation had remained unfinished – her question unanswered. As far as he was concerned, now that he had Mary, had her body and soul, nothing short of death would make him let her go.

Unless she asked him to.

Marshall squeezed his eyes against the glare of the setting sun on the water and the pain that lanced through his heart. He had thought that the pain of being without Mary – of seeing her with Raph, watching her nearly get married to the Dominican ballplayer had been the worst pain he could endure.

But now that he knew the thrill of being with her – knew what she tasted like, what her skin felt like under his, the way she marked him, the sounds she made when they made love . . . the thought that she could walk away before giving them a real chance made his blood run cold. He knew she was afraid – afraid of losing him, afraid of being left.

Mary stirred against his chest. "Marshall," she murmured sleepily.

Marshall stroked his fingers through her hair, slowly. "I'm here," he whispered. She made a sound so close to a purr that he bit back a grin as she snuggled further into his neck.

"You don't look like much of a hell cat now, Sunshine," he teased her softly.

"Hmm," she murmured.

He laughed; content that she felt safe enough with him to let down her guard and sleep for awhile in his arms. Mary had always been the kind of woman who was constantly on the alert and he still remembered the day he had penetrated the last of her defenses. Hell, it had taken him two years to do it! He took the opportunity now to survey her body – to appreciate its loveliness, but also to make sure she had been taking care of herself. He had noticed right away that she was a few pounds lighter – she definitely hadn't been eating as much as usual, which was strange. Mary was always stuffing her mouth full of food. The next thing he noticed were the heavy circles under her eyes.

"Oh my love," he breathed softly. "Between caring for Sadie and me, have you gotten any sleep?"

He was glad she wasn't awake to hear his term of endearment, knowing that she would have smacked him for it. Dropping a kiss on the tip of her nose, he continued his survey. The rest of her body seemed fine, except for a slight bruise on her right calf and the band-aid on her right thumb. He had noticed the thumb earlier but she had waved his concern away saying she had cut herself while slicing pineapple a couple days before. But he would have to ask her about the bruise on her leg later.

Suddenly the squeal of brakes and the slamming of car doors broke the peaceful atmosphere of ocean waves.

"Grumpy!" Sadie cried.

Mary jerked awake in his lap, nearly falling out of the chair as the girl's cry pierced her unconscious brain. "What is it?"

"Sadie-" Marshall started to explain but Mary was already scrambling out of his lap and running for the patio door.

"Jenna! We're out back!" Mary called.

Suddenly, Sadie was there, flinging her arms around Mary's waist, sobbing and babbling incoherently. "Grumpy! Car – shot – Star- scared – " she broke down completely, burying her face in Mary's skirt.

Mary made shushing sounds as she rocked the girl back and forth, and searched Jenna's face as the other woman appeared around the side of the house. "What happened?"

"Just as we were leaving the restaurant, a car backfired, scaring the kids. Sadie didn't react at all, not at first and then she was hysterical – I could barely get her in the car to get back here." Jenna sighed. "It was just like the night you cut yourself, Mary."

The women shared a look and Mary nodded as Marshall wheeled himself over to join them. "What's going on? What night?"

Sadie looked at Marshall for a long moment in shock before she broke away from Mary. "Star? Sadie think-"

Marshall frowned. "What? What did you think, Sadie girl?"

With renewed sobs, Sadie flew to him, climbed into his lap and clung to his neck. "No leave Sadie."

Marshall shook his head as he held her close. "I'm here, Sadie girl."

Mary turned to Jenna and led her back into the kitchen, out of earshot. "Is Jacen ok?"

"He's a little shaken up – she was kicking and screaming all the way back here, but he's okay."

"None of her kicks made contact with him?"

"No, she kicked the back of my seat."

Mary chuckled. "I bet that made for a fun ride."

Jenna smiled. "It's not like I haven't ever had a screaming kid in the car before. But it's always been my own!"

Mary groaned. "That's another reason not to have any kids."

Jenna sobered. "What are you guys going to do? Sadie is one traumatized little girl."

Mary sighed. "I know – but there's not much we can do at the moment. We're in a holding pattern until her mother wakes up."

Jenna bit her lip. "I hate to be a pessimist, but have you thought about what you're going to do if her mother doesn't wake up? I mean with every day that goes by, Sadie just gets more and more attached to the two of you."

Mary glanced out the sliding door, to see Marshall still holding a sobbing Sadie in his arms. "I know, Jenna. I know."

* * *

Alison's head flew up with a start and she snorted in surprise as she realized that once again she had drifted off. Her eyes flew in alarm to the clock on the wall by the bathroom, and her racing heartbeat slowed when she saw that only three minutes had passed since she had last looked at it. _Thank God! Some watchdog I make! At least there's still the police officer stationed outside – otherwise some other hired gunman could sneak in here and kill my daughter and I'd sleep through the whole thing!_ Snorting in disgust, Alison got up to pace, hoping the movement would wake her up a little bit.

She looked down at the still, pale face of her daughter and her heart constricted as the doubts and fears whispered in her mind. Had she done the right thing all those years ago? Perhaps there had been a way for her to keep Angela and raise her herself. Thousands of women did it every day – maybe she had given up too soon. Just because she was still in college and working two jobs to pay for her schooling and – no, Alison shook her head. There hadn't been any other way. She'd done the best she could for her daughter. She'd left her at St Agatha's church, given her the name Angela, kept tabs on her, and then provided for her financially as soon as she was able to.

But she'd never been a mother to her daughter. Never been there to dry her tears, give her advice about boys, or keep her from repeating her own mistake about getting pregnant too soon.

"Oh Angela, I'm sorry," Alison whispered. "I should have come to you – offered you a home – but I was scared, afraid of what you'd think of me. So instead I just kept sending you money, thinking I could provide for you that way. And look at what happened-" she stopped to clear her throat. "I know, I know. If I'd been around, there's no guarantee you'd have listened to your mother about boys but- OH!"

Carmen's eyes were open, blinking at the ceiling in disorientation. Alison crossed the room and leaned over the bed, taking one of her daughter's hands.

"Ang- Carmen?"

Carmen's dark eyes swiveled slowly to meet the older woman's, and she frowned in confusion.

"You're in the hospital, you've been shot – do you remember?" Alison prompted as she pushed the call button.

Carmen's brows drew together as she shook her head. She tried to speak but the ventilator prevented her and her eyes widened in panic. Alison was quick to interpret her fear.

"That was to help you breathe – you can't speak with it in. I'm sure the doctors will take it out now that you're awake."

Carmen pantomimed writing and Alison dove for her purse, handing the young woman a small notepad and pen. Carmen scribbled: _Where's Sadie? _and showed it to Alison.

Alison smiled reassuringly. "She's safe – she's with Marshall and Mary."

Carmen's eyes fluttered closed in relief before she scribbled on the pad again. _Who are you?_

Alison's heart was in her throat as she whispered, "I work with them."

Carmen's eyes held many questions but the doctor came in just then and she turned away.

Alison picked up her purse and left to call Stan, praying that there would be time to tell Angela who she really was before her daughter was relocated.

* * *

Sadie jerked fitfully in her sleep and Mary pulled the sheet back up to cover the little girl's trembling body. She couldn't tell if Sadie was shaking from the slight breeze coming from the open window or the terrors of her nightmares.

"No," Sadie whimpered, her fingers clutching Mr. Bear tighter to her chest.

Mary smoothed a few strands of hair back from the girl's forehead and began to hum a lullaby. She hadn't hummed since she herself was a girl and she had needed to soothe Squish. Mary smiled at the memory. Brandi had been scared of so many things: the dark, spiders, snakes, monsters under the bed or in the closet, and thunder. From the ages of two to eight, Squish had not only shared Mary's room, but her bed as well, squeezing her older sister so tight that Mary wondered if she would ever be able to breathe again. Mary's humming was the only thing that calmed her fears some nights – just like it seemed to be working with Sadie now.

Sadie moved in her sleep toward the sound of Mary's voice, rolling onto her side, and sighed. Her fingers slowly released their death grip on the sheet and Mr. Bear fell to the floor as her breathing deepened. Mary leaned forward to pick up Mr. Bear and put him next to the pillow. She dropped a kiss on Sadie's head before she left the room, making sure to keep the door ajar.

Mary leaned her head against the doorframe wearily and nearly jumped out of her skin as warm, familiar hands fell on her shoulders. With a sigh, she leaned back into Marshall's embrace.

"Isn't it a little soon to be putting weight on that leg?" she chastised.

He ignored her. "Sadie's asleep?" he breathed in her ear.

"For now."

"Come sit with me in the living room – you owe me some explanations."

She turned in his hold. "I do?"

He nodded. "About what's been going on while I've been out of commission?"

She snorted. "You mean in a coma?"

"Hey, you induced it."

"Touché."

He tugged at her hand. "Come on – sit with me."

"Only if you put your leg up."

He saluted even as he reached for his crutches that had been leaning against the wall. "See? I'm being a good boy."

Marshall let Mary fuss over him – propping his leg up on the couch, putting a pillow behind his back, even getting him a drink from the kitchen, before he finally sighed and grabbed her around the hips.

"Come here." He settled her on the couch in front of him, pulling her flush against him.

Mary resisted her body's initial rush of pleasure the contact with Marshall produced but in the end the sleep deprivation was too much for her and within the space of a minute her head was nestled on his collar bone.

He chuckled beneath her. "Was that so difficult? I just wanted you to slow down for a minute and relax."

There was a stinging sensation behind her eyes that alarmed her and she blinked rapidly. "I can't."

"Why not?" he asked softly.

"Because there's too much to do-"

"I beg to differ. Sadie is asleep, I'm finally awake and on the mend, thanks to your excellent nursing skills. I think it's time for you to take a well deserved break."

The stinging sensation grew worse and Mary shook her head. "No," she repeated and tried to get up, but Marshall's arms held her in place. "Let me go."

"Never."

"Marshall-"

"Listen, we need to talk about Sadie and what I missed while I was sleeping but right now I want you to get some sleep. Nothing good can come of us having a conversation when you are this sleep deprived."

The battle had been lost and the tears were falling down her face. How could she tell him that she had her own demons? That Sadie wasn't the only one that had nightmares? That every time she closed her eyes, she found herself back at that cabin by the lake but this time – this time-

Marshall had felt Mary's breathing change, had felt it speed up, grow shallow and fast. He pulled away from her in concern to see her staring into space, her chest heaving as she tried to get enough air. He shook her. "Mary! Snap out it!"

Slowly her eyes focused on him and her breathing came back under control. "I – what happened?"

He sighed as he pulled her back into his arms. "You tell me."

"I was thinking about the day we found you and Sadie – and my nightmares."

He rubbed her arms soothingly. "Go on."

She swallowed and shook her head against his chest. "I can't."

"You have to, Mer. Say it."

She lifted her face to his. "In my nightmares, when I find you, you're – dead."

He brushed away some of her tears with his thumbs. "And now you're wondering if a relationship with me is worth it, because even though I didn't die then, I could still die tomorrow."

She hit his shoulder. "Don't say that!"

He lifted an eyebrow. "But it's true – I could, so could you."

She lifted her hand and covered his mouth. "Please don't. I can't-"

He kissed her fingers, and then removed them to kiss her forehead. "I'm sorry, I told you that we wouldn't talk until you got some sleep and look what happened. You go into the other bedroom and get some sleep."

She shook her head. "No, Sadie will be up soon – she never stays asleep long and-"

"And I'll take care of her when she wakes up," he finished firmly. "You are officially relieved, Mary Shannon."

She looked at him, blurry eyed with fatigue and open mouthed with astonishment. "You're sure?"

He snorted. "How many hours of sleep have I gotten in the last four days compared to you?"

She groaned. "Don't make my head hurt by asking me to do math!"

He slapped her butt. "Go to bed, Mer."

She gave him a peck on the lips as she stood, her eyes heavy lidded with desire and sleep. "I wish you were coming with me."

His heart swelled with love for the woman before him. "Next time, love."

* * *

Carmen took another sip of sprite, silently thinking that nothing had ever tasted so good. Her eyes met Chief Inspector McQueen's across the room and she smiled. "You look like you still can't believe I'm here."

Stan smiled. "You have no idea how relieved I am that you pulled through, Carmen."

She shook her head slowly. "It's really been a week since-" her voice trailed off, and a hand came up to rub her temple. "I'm afraid my memory of that night is still vague."

"What do you remember?"

"Picking Sadie up from her preschool – going home and having dinner together – tucking her in and reading her a story," Carmen shook her head again. "After that – I remember taking a book and going to bed early. I don't remember Tony and Gino coming to the house – is that what Sadie says happened?"

Stan took a deep breath before he responded. "Sadie told Marshall that Gino woke her up and tried to carry her out of the house. She struggled and bit Gino's hand, and when he dropped her, she ran and hid."

Carmen smiled. "That's my baby." But suddenly she sobered and her eyes grew haunted as she looked at him. "But that doesn't explain what happened to me. Oh God, did Sadie see me get shot? Did she see her father shoot me?"

Stan swallowed. "We don't know. None of us have come right out and asked Sadie that question and when we asked her where you and her dad were that night-"

"What? Tell me," Carmen demanded.

"She got very upset and wouldn't talk about it."

Carmen swore in Italian under her breath. "Where is she? I've got to see her – hold her, reassure her I'm all right."

Stan cleared his throat uncomfortably as his eyes skittered away from hers. "She's with Marshall and Mary – she's fine, Carmen. Right now you just need to concentrate on getting better so you can testify."

"Where's my daughter, Chief McQueen?" Carmen's tone was firm, her gaze direct.

"I don't know – exactly."

Carmen jerked forward, the movement causing pain to travel through her upper body from her wound. She moaned as she forced the words through clenched teeth, "What the hell does that mean – you don't know exactly?"

"It means that she's under the protective custody of my best team in an undisclosed location."

Carmen's blood ran cold. "Why – what's happened?"

"I think this can wait until you're-"

"So help me if you don't tell me right now what's going on, I'll find a way to get discharged this afternoon and-"

"All right, Carmen, all right," Stan soothed. "This wasn't something I wanted to tell you so soon after you woke up but you forced my hand. But please, try to remain calm and remember that Sadie is safe with Marshall and Mary."

Carmen crossed her arms and glared at him but said nothing, merely waited for him to continue. In as few words as possible, Stan filled her in on what had happened while she had been sleeping: the transfer to Denver, the kidnapping of Sadie and Marshall, and the successful rescue. He left out the part that Sadie might have been an eye witness to the shooting of a US Marshal but he did briefly mention that her arm had been broken while she was being held hostage. He summed up his narrative by saying that Mary had thought it best if no one knew their location, not even Stan.

"Given all that had happened, I agreed. But I talked to them just last night and everyone is doing fine," Stan finished his report and dared to look at Carmen for the first time.

The young mother was staring at her lap, tears streaming silently down her face, the quiet sobs shaking her slender frame. Stan got up and moved quickly to her side, pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it into her hand.

"I'm sorry, Carmen. So sorry that we didn't do a better job of-"

She lifted her face to his. "Why? Why try to move her in the first place? I'd arranged for Marshall to keep her, to take care of her when I was out of town to testify-"

He shook his head. "Your getting shot changed a lot of things, Carmen. We didn't know when or if you were going to wake up – and Marshall had to protect you, Sadie, as well as cover other aspects of this investigation. Believe me, as much as he wanted to, our bosses wouldn't let him focus on one four year old girl."

Carmen swiped at her tears with the hanky. "Because he's not her father – although I wish to God he was! I mean, look at her own father. He shot me and arranged his own daughter's kidnapping-"

"We don't know for sure that he did either of those things-"

She snorted before blowing her nose noisily. "The hell we don't. I don't need the missing pieces of my memory to know exactly the kind of man my husband is."

Stan let her compose herself for a few moments before he cleared his throat. "I know I've given you a lot to absorb, but I do need your help, Carmen."

She nodded. "Anything to put Tony away for life, I'll do it."

"I have a couple of pictures I want you to look at – one is the man who kidnapped Sadie and Marshall. Apparently he was a US Marshal, but we've been trying to figure out how he's connected to the Forelli family." Stan handed her a 5x7 glossy photo.

Carmen studied it for a moment before she shook her head. "I've never seen him before, sorry. It's possible he does have a connection to the family – I've been dating Tony since I was fifteen and he was sixteen. So I've only been to family functions and parties for the past five years."

Stan nodded as he pulled a second photo from his briefcase. "There was a third man on the surveillance tape at the train station in Santa Fe with your husband and Gino that we're also trying to identify. I know it's a long shot but-" He held out the photo.

Sighing, Carmen took it and barely glanced at it before gasping in surprise. "This man? The one on the left?"

Stan's pulse had quickened at her reaction. "Yes, do you know him?"

Carmen nodded, her eyes wide. "That's Gino's brother, Stefano."

* * *

**A/N: So, my dear readers, when writing this tale, I argued with my muses A LOT about whether or not Carmen should or should not wake up. (This story would be shorter if she didn't!). Now that she has - stay tuned for the truth about what happened the night of her shooting and of course, Tony's trial.**

**Reviews are LOVE!**


	15. PTSD

**A/N: As a belated Halloween treat, here's an extra long chapter for y'all!**

* * *

Late afternoon sunshine streamed across the bed and the curtains blew in the slight breeze coming in off the sea. Mary stirred in her sleep and rolled onto her side, groaning as a shaft of light fell across her face. She buried her head beneath her pillow as she blinked sleepily, and tried to get her bearings. She could hear movement in the other room, and voices – one of which sounded like-

"Sadie!" Mary gasped, sitting up with a start as the memories of the past week flashed across her mind. She ran a hand through her hair and glanced about the room, noticing the lateness of the day. _I can't believe Marshall let me sleep this long! What if Sadie had another episode? I didn't get the chance to explain to him what's going on with her before I collapsed last night._

Groaning in frustration at herself, Mary threw back the covers to discover that she was only clad in her underwear. She grinned as she remembered not having the energy to put on pajamas and just lying down fully clothed. But she hadn't remained that way for long. . . .

"_Don't you want to get undressed, Mer?" Marshall asked from the doorway._

"_Too tired," she muttered into her pillow._

_He chuckled. "You'll be more comfortable."_

_She opened one eye to glare at him. "I'm pretty damn comfortable just like this, Doofus." She shut her eye and snuggled back into her pillow._

_She felt the bed dip beside her and he began to unwrap her skirt. "Not tonight, lover, I'm too tired," she whined._

_He snorted. "Yes, you are. Lift your hips, please."_

_She opened her eye to look at him again but he was focused on his task, so she complied with his request and he slid the wraparound skirt down her legs. She tried to curl up on her side but he prevented her by placing his hands on her waist under her shirt, slowly sliding them upwards. _

_He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Raise your arms, Mer."_

_She shivered. "Are you trying to get me naked?" she opened her other eye to look up at him, smiling sleepily._

_He smiled back. "I promise my motives tonight are honorable."_

_She frowned. "That's disappointing."_

_He leaned down and breathed the words against her stomach, his breath warm and moist. "Raise your arms, Mer."_

_Slowly, Mary raised her arms above her head and with every inch of skin that was revealed, Marshall rained warm kisses on her skin. He pushed the hem of her shirt up out of the way of his lips and soon she was clad in just her bra and underwear. Marshall placed one final kiss on her chest, just above her heart, before he moved up to kiss her lips soft and slow. Knowing that he needed to stop before he couldn't, he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers._

"_I love you – get some sleep now. I'll be here when you wake up."_

_She grabbed his hand in one of hers and with the other caught the St Jude medal that was around his neck, swinging between the two of them. Looking up at him with sleepy, vulnerable eyes she whispered, "Stay until I fall asleep?"_

_Without saying another word or releasing her hand, he moved onto the bed behind her to lie down. He raised his arm to lie across the pillows and Mary turned to lie on her side, laying her head on his chest. Her eyes drifted shut as his fingers ran through her hair._

That was the last thing Mary remembered – she probably hadn't stayed awake long and Marshall had most likely snuck out while she slept. Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her phone. She grabbed it on the second ring.

"Hey Stan, what's up?"

"Hey – I've got news. Can we talk?"

"I just got up and I'm not sure where Marshall is – so can we call you back?"

"Sure."

"Stan, you sound like you're in a good mood. What's happened?"

"Well, you can tell your partner and Sadie that Carmen's awake and she's on the mend."

Relief swept through Mary as she pulled on a pair of jeans. "Stan, that's great! Does she-"

"Hey, nothing else until I have you both on the line, ok?"

"Ok, ok! But that's torture and you know it!"

Stan laughed. "Then I guess I'll be hearing from you soon," and he hung up.

Mary grunted as she flung her phone on the bed and pulled a tank top over her head. As soon as she opened the bedroom door, she could hear Marshall's voice in the kitchen.

"Down by the bay, where the watermelons grow, back to my home, I dare not go, for if I do, my mother would say: did you ever see a-"

"FLY!" Sadie cried.

"Wearing a-" Marshall said.

"TIE!"

"Down by the bay."

Sadie giggled.

Mary's heart lifted as she entered the kitchen to see Marshall getting ready to barbeque hamburgers and Sadie sitting on the counter beside him, swinging her legs. The little girl had a smile on her face, something that had been lacking the past couple of days. Marshall had his back to her so it was Sadie who saw her first.

"Grumpy!" Sadie cried as she jumped down from the counter and flew to her side. "You up! You sleep long time." She threw her arms around Mary's waist and hugged her tight.

Marshall wiped his hands on a towel and turned to face her, their eyes meeting and speaking without words. His mouth smiled even though his eyes were serious and she knew he still had questions about Sadie.

Mary squeezed the girl back before gently disengaging her arms. "I was really tired, Kiddo. It was nice of Marshall to let me sleep for so long-" her voice held a note of accusation that he was quick to pick up on.

"You needed the sleep, Mer. We've been fine," he reassured her.

_Really? _Her eyes spoke to him.

His lips quirked to keep from smiling. _Really._

Her stomach rumbled and Sadie giggled. "Grumpy's hungry."

Mary smiled. "Yes, I am. What's for lunch?"

Marshall smiled back. "You mean dinner."

Her mouth fell open. "It's that late?"

He nodded as he lifted the platter of raw hamburger patties and limped towards the patio. She frowned at him and whisked it out of his hands.

"You get your crutches, mister. I'll carry the food-"

"Me too!" Sadie cried.

Mary nodded. "Sure, Kiddo, you too."

Marshall glowered at them. "I'm not a helpless invalid."

"Of course not – you don't think I'm going to cook these, do you? Not unless we want to eat burnt hockey pucks," Mary laughed.

Marshall handed Sadie the spatulas. "Here, Sadie girl. You can carry these."

Sadie smiled and skipped ahead of them onto the patio. Mary hung back with Marshall and whispered to him, "Stan called just after I woke up. Carmen's awake."

Marshall paused mid-step. "That's great! Does she remember anything?"

"He wouldn't tell me anything more – not until we were both on the phone. But he sounded excited, says he's got news."

"That wasn't the news?"

Mary shook her head. "I got the definite impression there was more."

Sadie ran back inside. "Sadie hungry!" she cried, placing her little fists on her hips and jutting her lower lip out.

Mary groaned. "God, she sounds just like Squish when she does that!"

Marshall winked at her. "Really? I thought she sounded like you!"

Mary hefted the platter of meat towards his face. "Don't make me throw this at you-"

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him, the platter wobbling dangerously between them.

Sadie tugged on their clothes, saying, "No kissy kissy. Food!"

Marshall laughed and kissed the tip of Mary's nose, dodging the back handed swat that came his way. "Oh no, Sunshine – that's all you!"

* * *

Gina came awake slowly, her eyes taking in the unfamiliar surroundings in some confusion. She wondered what had awakened her but then she heard the sound of a baby crying down the hall and at least that mystery was solved. She rolled to her side on the bed and her eyes fell on her suitcases by the dresser.

Suitcases – Stefano – plane – Hawaii - Sheila.

The pieces slowly fell into place as Gina sat up and ran fingers through her sleep tousled hair. _God, I hate red eye flights! _Moaning, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and padded over to her suitcase to find something cool to wear. She remembered landing in Honolulu in the wee hours of the morning and driving to Sheila's apartment. After her college roommate had gotten over the shock of seeing her arrive unannounced in the middle of the night, Sheila had welcomed her with open arms.

A soft, tentative knock sounded on the bedroom door as Gina slipped the sundress over her head.

"Gina? Are you awake?"

"Come on in, Sheila."

The door swung open and Sheila stood there with her 11 month old son perched on her hip. "I didn't want to wake you but I was thinking you must be getting hungry by now." The dark haired, blue eyed mother smiled.

Gina smiled back. "I'm starving – and you didn't wake me. You're an absolute doll for taking me in like this with no notice."

Sheila waved her off. "Don't worry about it, Gee. I owe you remember?" The young woman absent mindedly traced a scar on the left side of her face.

Gina crossed the room quickly taking her friend's hand in hers. "You don't owe me anything. We saw each other through some rough times, remember? But those are behind us and now you have this beautiful little boy."

Sheila shook off the memories. "You're right – and Davy is definitely the best thing that ever happened to me." She dropped a kiss on her son's dark curls. "Come on, I've got some sandwiches and fruit ready for us."

The women caught each other up with what had been happening in their lives since they had last seen each other over the cold dinner. Davy's father wasn't in the picture but Sheila had a good family support system and a great job with benefits. Gina briefly talked about her marriage to Chris.

"So, he's in jail?" Sheila gasped as she fed Davy a bottle.

Gina nodded. "Yup – and they can throw away the key for all I care."

Sheila looked shocked and Gina sighed.

"Oh, I suppose I was in love with him when I married him but the bloom has definitely faded, you know? I mean, he drinks way too much, fools around with other women, and has a terrible temper."

Sheila paled as her hand again darted up to her facial scar. "Did he ever hurt you?"

Gina snorted. "He was too smart for that. He knew that if he ever lay a finger on me, my brothers would hurt him ten times over."

Sheila sighed. "Must be nice – to have protection like that."

Gina rolled her eyes. "It was rather annoying when I was growing up – they were so overbearing and stifling most of the time I felt like I couldn't breathe. But don't get me wrong, I do love them," she hastily added.

Later when Gina was helping with the dishes, Sheila asked, "So why are you here – I mean, other than to relax and get some distance from your jailbird husband?"

Gina passed her a rinsed plate to dry. "I never could keep anything from you, could I?"

Sheila shook her head as she placed the plate back in the open cupboard. "So?"

"I need your help – do you still have that friend in the police department?"

Sheila frowned. "Rachel? Yeah, why?"

"I need her help to find someone – off the record."

"Who?"

"My niece."

* * *

"NO! Sadie stay with Grumpy and Star – no go!" Sadie cried as she wrapped her arms around Mary's jean clad legs, burying her face in the denim, the sobs shaking her slight body.

Marshall sat in his seat at the patio table, stunned at the scene unfolding before him. Jenna and Jacen had dropped by at the end of their meal to ask if Sadie wanted to come over to their bungalow and watch a movie. The partners knew that a better opportunity to call Stan without little ears listening in wouldn't come again, so Mary had been in the process of answering in the affirmative when Sadie had flown up out of her seat and begun screaming. Mary's reaction had been immediate – she had grabbed the girl to her in an embrace, something that Marshall had never thought he would see his standoffish partner do in a million years.

Mary dropped to her knees, taking Sadie's face in her hands. "Hush, Kiddo. Marshall and I aren't going anywhere, ok? We promised not leave you, didn't we? If you go and watch a movie with Jacen, we'll be here when you get back-"

"NO!" Sadie screamed throwing her arms around Mary's neck; the force of her body colliding with Mary's, knocking them off balance and caused Mary to sit down hard on the patio. Mary gritted her teeth against the pain that came from her twisted ankle as she ran her hands up and down Sadie's back, rocking them back and forth.

"Promise – you promise-" Sadie was murmuring into Mary's neck, her hands clenching and unclenching in her tank top. "Stay with Sadie."

The words stuck in Mary's throat. That promise was a pie crust promise: easily made and easily broken. Now that Carmen was awake and recovering it was only a matter of time before mother and daughter were reunited and relocated – and that was the way it was supposed to be. And yet, damn it all, not only did she now have to worry about severing the bond between Sadie and Marshall, but her own as well. When the hell had that happened?

Her eyes lifted and met those of her partner's as she whispered, "I promise, Kiddo."

Sadie's response was immediate – she slumped against Mary, her sobs reduced to sniffles, and yawned. "Sadie sleepy," she whispered.

Mary rolled her eyes as she swept her up into her arms, trying not to visibly wince as she placed weight on her twisted ankle. "Come on, let's take a nap." She limped towards the patio door but paused when she heard Marshall's voice behind her.

"I'll clean up."

She turned and looked at him, at the unanswered questions in his eyes. "No, that's my job remember? You cook, I clean."

He shook his head, his eyes flitting down to a drowsy Sadie before meeting her eyes again. "You have your hands full right now. Go on, I'll take care of this – you take care of her. I'll be waiting out here with a stiff drink and an ice pack when she's asleep."

Her eyes widened and she smiled as she realized her limp hadn't escaped his notice.

* * *

True to his word, Marshall was waiting on the patio with two shots of scotch and an ice pack. The sun was setting over the Pacific and he had already lit the two Tiki torches, the flames casting dancing shadows on the sand. He turned at the sound of her approach and crossed the deck to take her hand.

"Are you all right?" he ran a hand down the side of her face, his brow knit in concern.

She shrugged out of his touch as she limped to the table, collapsing into the chair. He sighed at the physical distance she was putting between them but didn't comment on it as he crossed to her side and lifted her injured foot into his lap, caressing the ankle gently, noting that though it was swollen, it wasn't as bad as he had initially feared and it definitely wasn't broken. He sat down across from her, taking her foot with him and placed the ice pack on top of it.

"What's the diagnosis, Dr. Mann?"

He looked up to see her smirking at him. "It's not broken, but you've definitely sprained it."

"Gee, thanks, doc. Tell me something I don't know," she quipped as her eyes skittered away from his and she tried to lift her foot from his lap.

His fingers curled around her foot, gently but firmly holding it in place. "You need to rest and keep it elevated, icing it every couple of hours. I don't think you should move it right now."

"Oh, you don't, do you?" She settled back in her chair with another smirk. "Is that your professional opinion, doc?"

"No, my personal one. Do you have someplace else to be right now, Mer?" he asked softly, as he began to caress the bottom of her foot.

She moaned. "If you wanted to play footsie, lover, all you had to do was ask."

He narrowed his eyes. "Don't start something we can't finish right now."

She wiggled her toes. "Who says we can't? It's your leg that's injured, not your-"

"Damn it, Mary!" He thrust her foot out of his lap and jumped to his feet. "Stop it! We need to have a serious discussion and you're doing everything in your power to derail it. Last night I stopped it because you needed sleep. Now you're trying to avoid the subject by coming onto me like some-"

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Like some what? Be careful, Marshall, be very careful how you finish that sentence."

With a growl of frustration, he yanked her to her feet and crashed his lips to hers. The speed of his attack caused Mary to gasp in surprise and Marshall took full advantage of her shock, pushing his tongue inside her mouth to play with hers. Her body melted against his and she felt how very much he wanted her as he stirred to life against her.

Gasping, he broke away and breathed heavily against her cheek. "Mary, you and I have a lifetime to love and tease and play with each other – but Sadie needs our help now. As much as I want to take you into that bedroom and shut out the world and ravage you until neither of us remembers our names – I can't – we can't – not until—"

She turned his face into hers, forcing his lips to meet hers again. For several seconds, she lost herself in his kiss before she broke away and leaned her forehead on his chin. "I know, Marshall, I know."

He held her until he realized she was shifting her weight from foot to foot, trying to get comfortable on her injured ankle. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he gently pushed her back into her chair. He picked up the forgotten ice pack, and reclaiming his seat, he lifted her foot again to his lap. Her eyes twinkled at him mischievously.

He held up a finger. "Behave."

She drew an X over her heart and held up her hand, but he shook his head, still not convinced. "So, why do you change the subject every time I bring up what's been going on with Sadie?"

Mary wriggled uncomfortably in her seat. "It's not exactly a pleasant subject, Marshall."

"I know, but it's an important one – and one we need to discuss. So, I get the feeling there's a deeper reason."

"Well, it's just that I don't like to talk about my failures."

"What are you talking about? Failures?"

She nodded. "Look, in case you haven't figured it out by now – I'm the fixer in this relationship. You are the planner and protection detail end – though I like to think we share the protection part." She paused and Marshall nodded. "But I've always been a fixer – in my personal and professional life – and I feel like I've let you and Sadie down, because I just don't know how to help her."

* * *

"So, Sheila says you need help finding someone?"

Gina nodded as she assessed the woman in front of her. Rachel Parese had the typical look and build of a native Polynesian but her sharp eyes told Gina that she didn't miss much. She wondered how much she could tell the cop without arousing her curiosity. If word got back to the family that an outsider was asking questions . . . Stevie had told her to use her contacts. But she wasn't going to put Sheila in danger. She would sacrifice the cop first.

"I do – I'm looking for my niece, her name is Sadie."

Rachel took another sip of her Mai Tai. "And you have reason to believe she's here on the islands somewhere?"

"Possibly – the private detective our family hired," the lie rolled off Gina's tongue, "traced the plane as far as San Francisco and then it refueled. So we're tracking all major airports."

Rachel nodded. "Well, since you want to keep this off the record so you don't alert the mother-"

Gina broke in, "It's a really messy divorce. My brother Tony has custody but Carmen managed to sneak off with her in the middle of the night and he's been frantic to find her ever since."

"Divorce cases are always messy with kids trapped in the middle," Rachel agreed. "So, here's what I can do. I have a couple of informants that I can check with, give them the picture of your niece, check back with them in a couple of days to see if they've heard anything. Of course, they won't do this for free."

"My brother Tony is offering rewards for anyone who is willing to help him find his daughter."

Rachel nodded. "That's good. Well then, let's get started."

* * *

Marshall frowned at her. "I'm sorry; did I sleep through you getting your degree in child psychology?"

Mary frowned back and pushed her toes into his privates, causing her partner to wince. "No, and you know I don't have any faith in head shrinkers."

He leveled a steely glare at her as he moved her foot to the side. "So Shelly didn't help you at all after your own abduction two years ago – not even with the nightmares?"

She shuddered as she remembered that awful basement, the chains, the smell of Chuck's blood as it hit her skin after Spanky shot him. "Yes," she ground out, "My two mandatory sessions with Dr. Finkel did help but she's not licensed in child psychology and Sadie is-"

"Suffering from PTSD, I know," Marshall finished softly. "Mer, wherever Carmen and Sadie end up, the Marshal Service will see to it that Sadie receives all the help she can to become the happy, well adjusted child she was meant to be before all this shit happened."

Mary lifted tear-filled eyes to his. "What if that's not possible? What if her demons are locked too deeply inside of her, just like-"

Marshall resumed caressing the top of her injured foot. "Just like yours? Mer, she's not you."

"I know that – she's so much worse off! The only thing my father did was abandon me – hers is a mob hit man! He came in the middle of the night and shot her mother point blank in the stomach and Sadie saw the whole thing-"

"We don't know that for sure-"

"The hell we don't!" Mary jerked her foot out of his grasp and hobbled towards the house.

Marshall got to his feet. "Where are you going?"

"I'll be right back – with all the proof you need!"

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration and sank back into his chair, counting the seconds until Mary reappeared before him clutching a piece of paper.

"Here," she said angrily, thrusting it into his hands.

"What-"

"I found this hidden in the rest of Sadie's drawings. When I asked her what the picture was, she told me it was a picture of the night mommy got hurt."

Marshall's hands trembled as he looked at the childish drawing. The paper was awash in red color. A girl stick figure with long dark hair was lying on her side, a pool of red under her. Standing over her was a boy stick figure with a mean face and something in his hand that Marshall couldn't make out. There was a smaller figure in the corner of the paper.

He swallowed before speaking. "Is this-"

"You still don't understand?" Mary cried. "That's Carmen, lying on the floor, bleeding from her gunshot wound, and that's Tony standing over her holding a gun. And that," she jabbed her finger at the tiny figure in the corner, "is Sadie. She saw the whole thing, Marshall. It's no wonder she's having nightmares and wetting the bed."

"Oh God," Marshall whispered, the paper slipping from his fingers. Mary caught it before the breeze carried it away. "She also saw Elle get shot. I failed her, Mer. I failed to protect her."

She tucked the picture into her pocket and straddled his lap, cupping his face. "Look at me, Marshall." She waited until his tortured eyes met hers. "You were in the process of going to her when that bastard shot you – nothing about that says failure, you hear me? It's up to us now to help Sadie keep it together long enough to be reunited with her mother and make sure nothing else happens to her in the meantime."

Marshall's breathing evened out as he leaned his forehead against hers. "When did her symptoms manifest themselves?"

"Huh – could you speak English please, Doctor Mann?" Mary rolled her eyes.

"The night you cut yourself – was that the first time she became hysterical?"

"Why didn't you just say so in the first place?"

"Mary-" he said warningly.

"Okay, okay," she said. "Let me think – yes."

He removed her hands from his face and pulled her into his lap, propping her injured foot on the table in front of them. "Tell me what happened."

"I was slicing pineapple for dinner – do you know how prickly those things are? You know they don't come all nice and pre-sliced like they do in the grocery stores – oh no, it's a lot of work to get-"

"Mary."

"Anyway, Sadie was sitting on the counter watching me like she was doing with you this afternoon. I was almost done when the knife slipped and I cut myself. It went through my thumbnail and into the pink part of the nail and I swore cause it hurt like hell and I was bleeding like a stuck pig-"

"Mary."

"I'm getting there! Jenna and Jacen were there too and Jenna grabbed a towel and told me to put pressure on it. So while I was doing this I looked over at Sadie and she was just staring at me – not saying anything, just staring at my thumb. When I stepped over to reassure her, she suddenly started screaming and kicking and crying. I was afraid she was going to fall off the counter and hurt herself so I picked her up and held her against me, even as she continued to kick and scream."

"What was she saying?"

"The only words I could understand were 'mama' and 'blood'."

Marshall nodded thoughtfully as he reached down and picked up her hand, running his fingers over her bandaged thumb. "The sight of blood must have triggered her suppressed memory of that night."

"Thanks, Dr. Phil – even a lay person like me figured that one out." Mary sighed against him. "That night, she wet the bed twice and woke up every two or three hours screaming from nightmares. She didn't remember what they were, just that there were monsters in them and she refused to sleep without me."

He ran his hands up and down her arms. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that without me – and that you had my care on top of it."

She turned her head to the side and kissed his chin. "I had Jenna to help me."

"And I'm sorry for making you feel guilty for coming here."

"I forgive you."

His left eyebrow rose in surprise. "You do?"

She nodded. "After all, I was right and you were wrong – this is why I sing this song-"

He silenced her with his lips.

* * *

"It's about time! I was starting to get worried!"

"Sorry, chief," Marshall apologized as his eyes met Mary's across the table. "Things here have been a little crazy."

There was a pause before Stan answered. "Anything I need to worry about?"

Mary and Marshall had talked about whether or not they should tell Stan about Sadie's PTSD. They knew that Carmen would have to be informed at some point but since she had just woken up and the two of them were miles apart, neither of them wanted to add more stress to Carmen's recovery. Marshall's eyes met hers in a silent query and she slowly shook her head.

"No, Stan, everything's fine on our end, just busy. So, what's up on yours?"

"I assume your partner has shared the good news that Carmen's awake."

"Yes, she did. How is she doing?"

Stan's sigh came over the line. "Physically, she's doing very well. Emotionally – I had to tell her what happened to Sadie while she was in a coma."

Marshall flinched and Mary jumped in. "That news couldn't have been kept from her for long, Stan."

"I know, Mary, but it's not the kind of news I wanted to spring on her the minute she woke up."

"How'd she take it?" Marshall asked.

"OK, actually. She's naturally anxious to see her daughter."

"Should we book a flight back to Albuquerque?"

"Negative, inspectors. I want you both to stay right where you are – unless you think you've been compromised."

Marshall and Mary shared a look of confusion even as she shook her head. "No, Stan, our location is secure," Mary reassured him. "But what's going on?"

"Carmen identified the third man for us."

Marshall sat up straight. "From the train station – the man that worked at Tippy's office for three years?"

"One and the same."

"Well, who is he?" Mary demanded.

"Gino's brother, Stefano, or should I say his twin brother."

Mary and Marshall looked at each in surprise. "Gino has a twin brother? How did we not know this?"

"Well, he changed his last name and moved away with his mother when he was little – and actually, they're not twins, they're triplets. There's a sister out there named Gina who just happens to be – are you ready for this – Chris' wife!"

* * *

**Reviews are LOVE!**


	16. Date Night

Marshall fell back in his chair, completely stunned while white, hot anger burned through Mary.

"Chris – as in the man who shot my partner?" she demanded.

"You got it."

"Who the hell are these people!" she yelled, thumping her hand on the table in frustration.

Stan chuckled. "Welcome to the world of organized crime."

"What's their relationship to the Forelli family?" Marshall finally recovered his voice.

"Ah, now that's the interesting part. Apparently their mother, Anna Marie was the Forelli nanny and her kids grew up side by side with the Forellis. But Charlie was able to get his hands on the birth certificates for the trips and guess who is listed as their father?"

"Not Anthony Forelli Sr?" Marshall drawled, his eyes sparkling.

"You got it," Stan chuckled.

"It's like Melrose Place with mobsters," Mary curled her lip in disgust. "You think Tony knows that Gino and company are his half siblings?"

"I got a better question: Did Anna Marie ever tell Anthony Sr that the trips were his?" Marshall put in.

"And here's another one: Does this have anything to do with Carmen's shooting and Sadie's kidnapping?" Stan added.

"Maybe this wasn't about Tony trying to get his family back – maybe this is just part of some big family takeover," Mary mused out loud.

"Maybe it was both," Marshall argued.

"Okay kids, you work on it from your end and we'll do the same. I'll be sending you a picture of Gina so you know what she looks like just in case she turns up wherever you are. Tippy says that the judge has only granted a seventy-two hour continuance. So in three days, we have to be in NYC with Carmen. Marshall, I'm afraid you'll have to be there too."

"I understand."

"Mary, Carmen is adamant about you staying put wherever you are and keeping Sadie with you. She wants you to keep her daughter safe no matter what – only then can she focus on her testimony."

Mary swallowed. "Tell Carmen that I'll protect Sadie with my life."

"Will do. Be safe, you two."

* * *

For the last two days, Marshall watched as Mary had physically and emotionally withdrawn from him. Oh, she still talked to him, smiled at him, worked along beside him as they cared for Sadie but as soon as they were alone together he could feel her withdraw from him. She made up countless excuses. Jenna needed extra help with Jacen. Jenna offered to take her shopping because she needed to buy extra supplies before he left for the mainland. She needed some time alone to think.

Marshall was quite well aware of what Mary was doing. She was carefully constructing those protective walls around her heart – the ones that he had spent years taking down brick by brick. But there was always one impenetrable wall that had never pierced – that no one had ever pierced until the day they had made love and he had steadily but surely laid claim to her heart. She had fallen in love with him, even if she herself was not yet ready to admit it, and now she was running scared. She was scared because she had already almost lost him and in just twenty-four short hours he would be leaving her again, flying back into danger without her by his side. He fingered the medallion around his neck. He could still remember the moment Chris had ripped it from his neck and tossed it back into the SUV, just before he had tossed the match to the gasoline soaked vehicle. As he watched the hungry flames lick up the sides, he had prayed Mary wouldn't believe he had been inside – that even if they found the medallion, she wouldn't think he was dead.

As he now fingered the half-melted medal, he couldn't help but wonder what agony she must have suffered in those hours wondering if he was dead or alive – it must have paralleled the agony he had felt when she had been abducted two years ago. He shook his head slowly. No, it must have been worse – for now, they knew each other inside and out, intimately, and back then all they had been was partners.

Laughter floated up from the beach and he looked out to see Sadie waving at him from beside an enormous sandcastle that Mary, Jenna, Jacen, and Sadie had spent the morning working on. He waved back and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Lunch is ready!" he yelled, and then turned to limp to the grill.

By this time tomorrow, he would be on a flight bound for NYC, and his time in paradise would be over. _Paradise. _He squinted against the glare of the sun on the water and sighed. Yeah, even though they were hiding in plain sight from the mafia and Sadie was dealing with PTSD, it was still paradise. Warm tropical breezes, sea and sand, and the woman he loved. _Someday, maybe Mary and I will-_

His thoughts were interrupted as two sets of arms wrapped around his legs and he laughed.

"Star!"

"Uncle Marshall!"

"We're hungry!"

Marshall looked down into Sadie and Jacen's upturned faces and his heart overflowed. _I've always wanted kids – is it too much to hope for that I might have them someday with-_

"Don't look now, Doofus, but you've got two growths on your legs!" Mary teased.

He looked up to see Mary and Jenna laughing at him from the patio steps. "Oh, thank God! I thought those were lobsters!"

Jacen and Sadie giggled as they let go of his legs. Marshall handed Jacen a platter of hot dogs and Sadie one of hamburgers. "Be careful carrying those to the table, ok?"

Both kids nodded and slowly walked away with Jenna overseeing their progress. Marshall turned back to the grill, only to nearly collide with Mary. She smiled up at him.

"We're not going to eat nearly this good while you're gone," she said huskily.

He shrugged as he picked up the chicken wings. "There's always fast food – but as long as you don't make a complete pig of yourself – you should have some leftovers from today's feast."

She swatted his butt and he jumped – not because it hurt, but because she hadn't been this playful in days. He watched with widened eyes as she plucked the chicken wing platter from his hands and sashayed to the table in front of him, giving him an eyeful of her swinging hips. He groaned. The woman really was a tease!

Jacen and Sadie ate as fast as the adults would let them since they wanted to get back to the beach. As soon as their feet cleared the patio, Jenna turned to Marshall.

"How's Sadie doing with your leaving tomorrow?"

He sighed. "Better today. I don't think she stopped crying yesterday. But I think it's a good sign that she's playing with Jacen today and isn't glued to my side."

The women shared a look before Jenna continued. "You know, the offer for dinner and a movie with me and Jacen still stands. So you and Mary could be alone for a bit."

Marshall risked a glance at his partner but her face was unreadable as she looked out at the beach, her gaze locked on Jacen and Sadie.

"I'm not sure – Mary?"

"Hmm?" she turned her heard and looked between them. "Oh, I'm sorry. Coffee? I'll get it." She went into the house.

"Thanks, Jenna. But I don't think it's necessary."

"Don't be an idiot, Marshall – I think it's more than necessary. Why, you and Mary haven't even had a first date yet."

His mouth fell open. "How did you-"

Jenna snorted. "Women talk about these things. So-" she prodded him as Mary reappeared.

Marshall nodded. "But only if Sadie is comfortable with the idea."

* * *

Mary watched with a slightly open mouth as Jenna and Marshall set up another movie night with the kids. This time there was no hysterics. After a solemn promise that Marshall would still be there in the morning for breakfast and some special time with just her, Sadie happily skipped off with Jacen to watch Disney classics. Once the door closed behind them, her partner had turned towards her and she had felt the butterflies gather in her stomach.

"I think I'm going to lie down for a little while."

"Oh." She swallowed her disappointment.

"Unless, you-"

"No! No, you go right ahead. I'm just going to go for a walk on the beach."

He frowned. "Are you sure your ankle-"

"It's fine. See you when you wake up," and she fled out the door and onto the sand.

Well, what had she expected? She had been pushing him away, keeping him at arms' length for two days and the moment they were alone, she expected him to just push past all that and take her in his arms? Did she even still want that?

Mary stopped still on the sand, the water lapping at her feet. Of course she still wanted that. She wanted Marshall with every fiber of her being – and that was the problem. She had spent the last two days preparing herself for his absence, preparing for the time when he would get on that plane and head back into the line of fire without her. What if he didn't come back? What if he died? What if-

"Stop it, Mary," she said out loud, giving herself a little shake, as she sank onto the sand. "You're over thinking – and you're going to fuck this up before it even starts."

She laughed as she realized that she was sitting alone on a beach in paradise talking out loud to herself. She knew that what she really wanted was to go back into that bungalow, wake Marshall from his nap, and ravage him until they were both screaming for mercy. But he had made it perfectly clear the other day that they had to focus on Sadie – that they had a lifetime to focus on each other. And that statement had also scared her to death.

He wanted a lifetime with her – and she couldn't even figure out if a relationship with him was worth it?

She groaned as she collapsed backwards on the sand. She was so screwed.

* * *

It was hours later when Mary finally opened the sliding glass patio door and gasped. Marshall was pulling something from the oven that smelled absolutely divine – but best of all he was shirtless, clad only in low slung jeans, that hugged his lean figure and left very little to the imagination. He set the baking dish on the cooling rack and turned to meet her admiring gaze.

"See something you like?" he drawled, pulling off the oven mitts and crossing the distance between them to stand before her.

"What smells so good in here?"

"Well, it could be the pasta but it's probably the chocolate soufflé I just took out of the oven."

Mary's mouth watered at the sound of the word 'chocolate'. "You can't have done all this in the amount of time I've been gone."

"You've been gone for three hours, Mer."

"I have?"

He nodded. "You fell asleep on the beach – and it looks like you got a little too much sun."

She gasped again and ran to the mirror above the hall table, groaning at the sight of her pink face, neck, and shoulders. "Shit, that's gonna hurt tomorrow."

Marshall appeared in the mirror behind her, his eyes locking with hers. "Why don't you go take a shower and freshen up? Put some aloe vera on your shoulders," he suggested.

She turned to face him, crossing her arms over her chest. "What's going on? Why pasta and a fancy chocolate dessert?"

He leaned in and kissed her nose. "Because, mon Coeur, tonight we're going on our first date."

She gave him an incredulous look. "Are you serious? Marshall, you're the one who said we're here to do a job and that we need to focus on Sadie. We don't have time for you to-"

"What? Wine and dine you? Let me be the judge of that," he took her by the hips and turned her towards their room. "Now, you go shower and freshen up while I put the finishing touches on our dinner."

She raked her eyes over his attire. "Are you going to change?"

"Of course – you don't think I'd wear this on our first date, do you?"

She sighed. "Pity." She gave her hips that extra swing as she walked away, smiling as she heard him groan behind her. _This is going to best first date I've ever had._

* * *

Marshall had left his clothes in Sadie's room, knowing Mary would want to shower and freshen up in their room once she returned from the beach. He felt bad about her sunburn. He should have gone out to check on her. He hoped that she wasn't going to be in too much pain to enjoy their date. As he slipped into the white linen slacks and Hawaiian shirt, he couldn't help but smile. His first date with Mary Shannon was going to happen on a patio in Hawaii – it couldn't get more perfect than that.

He had just finished lighting the Tiki torches when he heard the whisper of her sandals on the patio and turned to meet her gaze. She was standing less than ten feet from him in a deep red strapless sundress that hugged her curves in all the right places and fell to just below her knees. Her hair was up in a loose bun but already wispy tendrils were escaping and blowing about her face. The light from the torches danced across her skin and he could hardly tell she had sunburn. He felt his blood rush south and he closed his eyes to try and get his breathing under control before he ravished her on the spot. _She's so beautiful._

"Marshall, everything looks great. I can't believe you did all this while I was sleeping out on the beach this afternoon," Mary smiled as she took in the candlelit patio, the flowers on the table, and the china place settings.

"Well, I did have some help," he admitted as he plucked a white hibiscus flower from the centerpiece and held it out to her.

Her smile deepened as she took it and shoved the flower into the front of her hair bun. "Jenna?"

"I plead the fifth," he said solemnly as he extended his elbow. "May I show you to our table, my lady?"

"You've been reading that book again," Mary groused as she took his arm.

He shook his head. "Forsooth, I-"

She leaned in and kissed him, pulling away before either of them could deepen it. "Feed me, Marshall. I'm hungry."

He quirked an eyebrow. "For food?"

Mary felt her toes curl in her sandals. "For now."

* * *

Gina answered her cell on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Anything?"

"Well hello to you too."

"Gina-"

"No, nothing yet, Stevie. You know I'll call you as soon as I have any news."

"We're running out of time. The trial starts the day after tomorrow."

"I know, Stevie. What do you want me to do if I find out they're here in Hawaii?"

"Nothing - call me. Don't even go see where they are. As soon as you know anything, you call me. Capisci?"

"Si, Stevie."

* * *

"You were married?"

Mary shrugged. "You asked."

He shook his head. "No, I asked if you'd ever had a serious relationship before Raph, not if you'd been married!"

"Well, a serious relationship, a marriage, same diff, right?"

He shook his head again and took a large sip of wine. "Not really. I mean, people can be in a serious relationship for years without getting married-"

"You know, technically, it wasn't a serious relationship."

"What wasn't – your marriage?"

She nodded.

"Good God, the more she talks the worse it sounds," he muttered under his breath. "Okay," he focused back on her. "So what was it?"

"An escape plan."

The words hung in the air between them as Mary toyed with the remaining crumbs of the chocolate soufflé on her plate. Marshall studied the woman across from him. Throughout dinner, they had shared more intimate details of their lives than they ever had before. Marshall had finally told her all about Katinka, the girl he had lost his virginity to when he was sixteen. And now Mary had made this startling revelation.

Taking a deep breath, she continued. "Jinx was drunk – all the time. And she brought home men, usually the same guy for a month or two and then there'd be a blowup and he'd leave and then another would take his place," Mary spoke softly, her eyes fixed on her plate. "Brandi was already in with the wrong crowd and experimenting with drugs and I was tired of bailing her ass out. And bailing Jinx out – literally. So when Mark proposed right after we graduated high school, we drove to Atlantic City on his Harley and eloped."

From somewhere out in the water came the sound of a motorboat and Mary didn't speak again until it had faded away in the distance. "I think I still have the wedding photo somewhere. Anyway, we eloped on Friday and divorced on Sunday."

"What happened?" Marshall kept his voice low.

She smiled sadly. "We were kids – I don't think either of us really wanted to be married. And Mark definitely wasn't ready to be married. I walked in on him groping the maid in our hotel room Sunday afternoon."

Marshall winced.

"I threw her out by her hair and then kicked my newlywed husband in the nuts so hard he couldn't sit down for a week without pain."

Marshall grinned. "That's my girl."

Mary smiled back at him. "So, you ever been in a serious relationship, Marshall?"

His grin faded. "I've never been married, or even engaged – but I was going to propose to someone once."

Mary sat up in her chair, her interest peaked. "Who? Oh God, don't tell me it was me!"

He chuckled. "No, this was a few years before I met you. It's a very common tale: Boy meets girl. Boy falls for girl. Boy professes his love. For a while they live happily ever after. Then boy loses girl to former love," he finished his story with a shrug.

"I'm sorry, Marshall," Mary stretched her hand across the table, palm up and he placed his hand in hers. "She didn't love you."

"She said she did."

"Yeah, well, Mark said he loved me too and two days later I found him bopping the maid in our honeymoon suite."

The tension broke as the partners laughed.

"I'm sorry I've been distant the past couple of days. I've just been-" Mary broke off, swallowing nervously.

Marshall squeezed her hand. "It's okay, Mer. I understand."

"You do?"

He nodded. Her eyes searched his, her body relaxing when she saw the love and understanding shining back at her.

"I want you to know, Mer, that no matter what you decide, for me, it will always be worth it."

"Marshall-" the words stuck in her throat, the tears gathering behind her eyes.

He kept hold of her hand as he got up from the table and came to stand beside her chair. "I know that I scared you the other day when I said we had a lifetime to be together – but I want you to be in no doubt of how I feel or what I want for us. I'm not trying to tie you down or trap you into something you don't want. We can still go as slow as you want, as you need. But don't ask me to give you up, Mer, because that's the one thing that I can't do."

With a strangled cry, Mary flew up from her chair and into his arms. Marshall caught her easily, pressing his lips to hers hungrily, tasting the salt of her tears.

"I'm sorry – I'm sorry," she chanted between kisses and Marshall felt his heart break. Was she trying to say good-bye? He tightened his hold, resolving not to make it easy for her and crushed her to him.

"Sorry for what?" he whispered.

"For pushing you away – for wasting our last few days together," she breathed against his lips.

His breathing eased at her words and he caressed her shoulders, weaving his hands into her hair bun, loosening it until her hair came cascading down. "So let's not waste tonight," he whispered as he sucked on the pulse point of her neck.

She moaned and held him closer to her. "Is this what you do on a first date?"

He leaned back to look at her with eyes full of need. "When it takes us seven years to get to the first date, you bet your ass it is," he growled.

Mary threw her head back and laughed. Taking advantage of the angle, Marshall attacked her neck, peppering her skin with kisses, and she arched her body into his touch. "So help me, Marshall, if your intentions are honorable tonight, I will hurt you."

He chuckled against her skin. "I assure you, mon Coeur, my intentions are anything but honorable."

"Then I want you to take me-"she kissed his left cheek "-into our room-" she kissed his right cheek, "-and shut out the world-" she kissed his chin, "-and ravage me-" she kissed his pulse point, "-until neither of us-" she breathed against his lips, "-can remember our names."

* * *

Marshall stirred in his sleep, unable to keep the smile from forming on his lips as he felt the weight of Mary on his chest. _She may claim not be a cuddler – but I love the fact that every time we make love, I wake up with her in my arms._ He sighed as his eyes drifted open only to be met with her green ones. She had propped her chin on top of his chest and as soon as his eyes opened, a slow smile spread across her face.

"Hi."

"Hi yourself," he said huskily, letting his hands wander down her shoulders to her lower back.

Mary tried not to flinch as his fingers touched her tender flesh but her partner knew her too well. He cupped her cheek, caressing it gently as he said, "How bad is it?"

She shrugged. "I've had worse."

"Let me see." In one swift move, he rolled her beneath him and lifted the sheet, exposing her body to his gaze.

"Well?" she asked, trying not to squirm at the intensity of his look. "Am I peeling yet?"

He shook his head. "No, but you do resemble a certain marine life crustacean-"

She slapped his chest. "Did you just call me a lobster?"

He leaned down and kissed her. "You are the sexiest, most beautiful-"

She hit him again. "Don't try and sweet talk your way out of it!" she huffed in exasperation.

He gave her another swift kiss. "I'm going to get your aloe vera lotion – don't move."

Mary watched as he bounded from the bed, not bothering to put any clothes on and she smiled. She had always thought of Marshall as a rather shy, private person and if they ever crossed that line he would continue to be that way in the bedroom. But so far he had been anything but shy – she lifted her hand to the fresh bite mark on her collar bone and stifled a giggle. _It's always the quiet ones!_

The bed dipped under Marshall's weight and Mary's eyes met his as he slowly lowered the sheet to her waist. He shook his head at the sight of her angry skin and poured some of the aloe vera lotion into the palm of his hand.

"Close your eyes," he whispered.

Even though she hated to lose eye contact with him, she knew that her face needed the lotion as much as her neck and shoulders so she complied with his request. She sighed in relief as the cool lotion soothed the skin of her face and then moaned as Marshall's fingers continued to work it in, giving her a facial massage. His skilled fingers continued to move down her neck and chest, working the aloe into her burnt skin, slowly caressing, teasing, and arousing.

Finally Mary could stand it no longer and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Marshall's eyes flew to hers in surprise as she arched upwards into him. "Marshall, put the bottle down."

He chuckled. "But I haven't done your back yet."

She wrapped her fingers around the bottle and chucked it across the room. "Later."

* * *

_French: Mon Coeur – my heart_

* * *

**A/N: So I hope you all enjoyed this romantic interlude between our favorite couple - because they're about to be split up again. And you know nothing good happens when they're apart . . . coming up next: the return of Carmen's memory.**

**Reviews are LOVE!**


	17. Come back to me

**A/N: And so begins the ride to the end - buckle your seat belt, readers!**

* * *

The next time Marshall awoke, he was alone in the bed. Fighting down a sense of alarm, he let his hand wander over the sheets on her side of the bed and sighed as he felt the warmth that the fabric still held. _She hasn't been gone long. _He rolled to his side, listening for the sound of her footsteps in the bungalow, or the low murmur of her voice. His eyes fell on the clock on the nightstand and he stifled a groan. It would be dawn in an hour – their date night would officially be over. He would have to think about regrouping, getting back into badass Marshal mode, and saying good-bye to one traumatized little girl.

The sound of a toilet flushing brought him back to the present and Marshall couldn't help but smile as Mary walked back into the room, wearing nothing but his Hawaiian shirt from last night. She held her cell phone to her ear and when she saw he was awake and looking at her, she smiled.

"Thanks, Jenna. One of us will be up there to get her in a little while," Mary paused as she listened to Jenna's reply. She threw a wink in Marshall's direction as she continued. "Oh, I had a good time. It was definitely unconventional as first dates go-" another pause. "Jenna, I'm not one to kiss and tell but yes, we're both very satisfied this morning. Bye."

Marshall laughed as she tossed her phone on the dresser and leapt onto the bed, straddling his thighs, and capturing his hands in hers. "Good morning, lover."

He smiled up at her, taking a moment to drink in the happiness he saw on her face. She had threaded her fingers through his and lifted his hands above his head; otherwise he would have lifted them to cup her face. Instead he settled deeper into the bed, enjoying the fact that she was being so playful and hadn't put the walls back up already.

"Is that my new nickname?"

"Only when we're alone – I think it would arouse too much suspicion if I started calling you that around the office." She leaned down to breath the next words against his skin. "Do you like it?"

He moaned. "Mary, you could call me your bitch, and I'd answer."

She laughed as she began nipping along his jaw line. For several minutes the couple lost themselves in each other before Marshall slowly and reluctantly pulled away.

One look in his eyes was all it took for Mary to understand that their date night was over. Still panting slightly, she wrapped the sheet around herself and tried to put some physical distance between them. But Marshall would have none of it; as soon as she had arranged the sheet, he pulled her back down onto the bed, into his arms. She rested her head on his chest, letting her hand play with the medallion that hung between them around Marshall's chest.

"What happened to this?" she asked softly.

He sighed. "After Chris shot me, he ripped it off my neck. I knew that he really wanted to leave me behind to die in the SUV – but Sadie was crying and screaming and for some reason, he just couldn't be that cruel. So he threw it in the vehicle before he torched it, hoping you and Stan and the rest of the authorities would believe I had died in the fire."

She snorted against him. "Without any other physical evidence like DNA? Geez, he really was stupid, wasn't he?"

He shrugged. "Well, he was in a hurry-"

She pulled away to look at him with a scowl.

"And yes, I don't think he's the sharpest knife in the block."

"Thank you."

He cleared his throat. "Did it work?"

She frowned. "Did what work?"

"Chris' plan- did it work? Did you think I'd died-"

Mary was already shaking her head before he could complete the sentence. "No – I couldn't, wouldn't let myself believe it. There were no bodies in the car – just Elle's in the desert. I had to have faith that somehow, some way you and Sadie had made it." The stinging sensation was back behind her eyes.

"When I was in that dingy cellar – you were all I could think about," he whispered.

She gave him a watery smile as she remembered her dream – the one where Marshall had come to her in her hotel room and told her to have faith.

"Me too."

Mary's stomach rumbled in hunger and he laughed. "Sounds like it's about time for breakfast, huh?"

She nodded. "I told Jenna one of us would be there to get Sadie – do you want to start the pancakes and I'll go?"

"All right. But first we need to talk about our back up plan."

"You've been busy, haven't you?"

"I don't want to leave you here without a backup plan – hell, I don't want to leave you here at all, Mer."

She leaned up and kissed him quickly. "I know. So, what's the plan?"

"Well, I think that regardless if Gina shows up here or not, three days from now you and Sadie should leave here."

She frowned. "Why?"

"Because it's best to stay on the move. Because the longer you stay here, the more danger you put Jenna and Jacen in – and you were only going to stay here until I got better, remember? And since I'm leaving—"

"Stop – I get it. Okay, three days from now, Sadie and I will move on. Do you have a destination in mind?"

"You brought your passport, didn't you?"

Mary nodded and then her mouth fell open. "Stan, not to mention Alison, will kill us if we leave the country, Marshall!"

"I know, but it may be necessary if Gina is on your trail – and you wouldn't have to go far – just into Canada or Mexico. I was thinking you could stay in the States if you haven't been compromised – but if you have been spotted-"

Mary blew out a breath. "It may be necessary to leave the US – temporarily. We're gonna get in so much shit for this, Marshall. And what about Sadie? I don't have her-"

"Sadie's passport is in Mr. Bear."

"What!"

He nodded. "Carmen was terrified when she came into the program and insisted that she and her daughter both have them for emergencies."

"How can we let you know if we've had to go deeper underground?" Mary tried to keep the tremor out of her voice.

Marshall cupped her cheek. "We'll have to think of a safe word that you can text me – something perfectly benign that won't mean anything to anyone else but will tell me trouble found you."

She held up her bandaged thumb. "Pineapple."

* * *

"It's too soon, Inspector McQueen. I can't, in all good conscience, release my patient to travel across the country and testify in court. The physical stress alone could send her into a medical crisis, not to mention the emotional strain-"

"I understand your concerns, Doctor, and I share them, but I don't have a choice. My hands are tied," Stan stated firmly.

"Doctor Hertz, I am very grateful for the excellent care I have received at this hospital but I simply must be discharged this morning. I have a flight to catch in three hours – and I can't miss it. My testimony is crucial to putting my husband behind bars for life. He not only kills people for a living but he tried to kill me and kidnap our daughter. I don't have a choice – I have to go."

Doctor Hertz looked at his patient in concern, her pale, drawn face alive with passion. "Ms. Turner, I'm deeply moved by your sense of civic duty but my first responsibility is to your health. You do understand that if I release you, your wound could reopen, you could suffer internal bleeding, and you could throw a clot-"

"Doctor Hertz!" Stan snapped, appalled at the man's bedside manner.

"It's okay, Stan," Carmen whispered. "The doctor is just trying to do his job. But I have one to do as well. I have to do this, Doctor Hertz. I understand the risks to my health and if you need me to sign something saying that I won't sue the hospital for releasing me too early, I'll do it."

Doctor Hertz left the room muttering about stubborn, crazy patients but he did say he'd be back shortly with her discharge papers. As soon as the man had left, the starch went out of Carmen and she slumped wearily against her bed pillows.

Stan moved towards her in concern. "Are you all right?"

Carmen nodded, her eyes closing wearily. "It just takes a lot of energy to fight people who think they know what's best for me. I think I'll probably sleep all the way to New York."

Stan chuckled. "It will certainly make the flight go by faster." He cleared his throat. "I talked to Marshall and Mary yesterday."

Carmen's eyes flew open. "How's Sadie?"

"She's okay- their location hasn't been compromised and Mary wanted me to let you know that she'll protect your daughter with her last breath."

Carmen smiled. "Good – oh, I wish I could see her."

Stan reached down and gave her small hand a squeeze. "This will be over soon – and you'll have the rest of your lives to be together, Carmen."

Carmen closed her eyes, the tears slipping down her cheeks. "I hope so."

* * *

"You didn't eat very much, Kiddo."

Sadie shrugged. "Sadie no hungry."

Marshall and Mary exchanged a look over her head as Mary began to clear the table. Marshall leaned over and whispered in Sadie's ear. "It's because you had too much junk food last night, isn't it? You and Jacen pigged out while you watched movies, didn't you? Let's see – what did you have? Popcorn? Candy? S'mores?"

There was no response from Sadie and he gently tugged on one of her braids. "Sadie girl, please don't be so sad. I'll be back before you know it and –"

Sobbing, Sadie threw herself into his lap, burying her face into his chest. "You promised," she sobbed. "Stay with Sadie."

Marshall thought about what to say as he soothingly ran a hand up and down her small back. Mary continued to clear the table, her eyes meeting his, giving him her silent support. He waited until he heard her start washing dishes in the small kitchen before he spoke.

"I have to go tell some very important people what happened to you and me, Sadie girl."

Sadie pulled away with a sniffle to sit on his lap, looking down at the cast on her arm. "Tell about bad men?"

He nodded. "Then the bad men won't be able to hurt you or your mama ever again."

Sadie continued to look at her cast. "You see daddy?"

He began to understand. "Your daddy will be there, but he won't be able to get close to your mama or me."

"He hurt mama."

"I know, Sadie girl."

"No hurt Star."

"Listen to me, there will be lots and lots of people there to protect your mama and me. We will be safe. Your daddy won't be able to hurt us."

Sadie threw her little arms around his neck. "Sadie love Star."

Marshall's eyes met Mary's as she slowly came to stand in the archway between the kitchen and dining area as he whispered back, "Star love Sadie."

* * *

"You Rachel's friend?"

"Name's Neleh, love. And I wouldn't say Rachel and I are _friends_ – more like business acquaintances, if you catch my drift."

Gina looked the heavy set Hawaiian woman up and down, taking in her buck toothed smile and the strong odor that must be native to the islands. Crinkling her nose and breathing through her mouth, she pasted on a friendly smile. "I hear from our mutual business acquaintance that you might have some information for me."

Neleh grinned, and the odor intensified. "I might – for a price."

"I can pay – but you've got to give me a little something to show that the info you've got is worth paying for."

"My sister works in housekeeping at Waimea Country Lodge. About a week ago, there was a little girl there that answered to the name of Sadie."

"Was? She's not still there?"

Neleh held out her hand, palm up and waited.

Gina opened her purse and placed a crisp hundred dollar bill in the woman's palm. Neleh simply waited. Sighing, Gina slapped another one on top of it.

"Now talk."

Neleh shoved the two bills down the front of her muumuu and continued. "My sister saw her in the company of a blond woman, but there was also a man in the rooms whenever she cleaned them. He was always sleeping, lazy oaf. The woman was really nervous, never let my sister clean his bedroom," Neleh said with a shrug. "Anyway, about five days ago my sister came to work and they had checked out."

Gina tried to control her temper. "And your sister had no idea where they had taken my niece?"

"Nope. But I'll be sure and let you know if they come back, love." Her eyes were fixed on Gina's purse.

"You do that."

* * *

Marshall approached Mary slowly, sinking deep in the shifting sand. She was sitting on a large piece of driftwood watching Sadie and Jacen build yet another sandcastle before the incoming tide claimed it. The sound of their voices and laughter carried on the breeze and he took a moment, closed his eyes, and captured it in his memory. _Just in case – I want to remember what innocence and happiness and wonder in Paradise sounds like just in case I-_

He resumed walking and soon stood beside the log, looking out at the Pacific, breathing deeply of the salty air. "You know, this is the one thing that's missing in Albuquerque."

She didn't turn her head to look at him. "The ocean?"

"Yeah – maybe we should relocate our office."

"I think the marshals in Honolulu would view us as competition."

"Aw, come on, certainly there's enough room for all of us," he teased as he dropped onto the log beside her.

"I don't think the US government has the funding to support two offices in Hawaii," she pointed out.

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Since when are you the logical one?"

She shrugged and continued to look out at the ocean. "I've had to be lots of things I've never been before on this case: logical, nurturing, in touch with my maternal side – hell I didn't even think I had one of those!"

He reached over and grabbed her hand, shocked at how cold it was. "What are you talking about? You practically raised Brandi-"

She shook her head. "Out of necessity – not because I wanted to. I've never wanted kids, Marshall – you might as well know that right up front if you're contemplating any kind of future with me, with us-"

"Hey, hey, wait- have I said anything about kids?"

She shook her head. "No, but just watching you with Sadie – it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that you want them. You told her you loved her, Marshall."

He tugged her closer, so they were touching, thigh to knee. "Yes, I did, because I do. But Mary, I don't think you've taken a step back and realized how close you've gotten to that little girl out there," he nodded his head towards Sadie playing on the beach. "If you're honest with yourself for a moment, you'll realize that you've also become quite attached to Sadie."

She swallowed thickly. "I've already admitted that to myself, Marshall."

He grinned. "You have? When?"

She nodded. "A few days ago when I was trying to put distance between us, I realized I was screwed because it wasn't just you and me– it's Sadie too. Damn it, Doofus! She's our Leo," she moaned as she buried her face in his shoulder.

For a moment his face clouded in confusion until he remembered the young boy who had stolen Mary's heart a few years ago – the boy who she had wondered if she could give up to his new foster family. In the end, she had – but she had also reunited him with his real father. That case had only made him fall more in love with her and prove to him that deep down, Mary really did like kids, even if she didn't think she did.

"Ah, mon Coeur, you really will make a great mother someday," he whispered, kissing the top of her head.

She drew back in shock, her eyes wide. "I think you're suffering from delusions of grandeur."

"I'll gladly admit to tilting at windmills if you'll be my Dulcinea," he grinned, leaning down and kissing her.

His phone beeped in his pocket, interrupting them. He broke away from her lips with a soft moan. "It's my cab, I have to go."

She grabbed the sides of his face, holding him in place. "Listen here, lover. You better come back to me because if you get yourself shot and killed, I will track you down in heaven and kick your ass, understand?"

His eyes twinkled at her. "Yes, ma'am."

She gave him a fierce, hungry kiss before pulling away. "I can't do this without you."

She didn't elaborate on what "this" was and he didn't ask. Breathing a kiss against her forehead, he whispered, "I love you, mon Coeur," before he walked away.

* * *

"You found her?"

"No."

Sigh. "Then why are you calling?"

"Because I do have news." Gina quickly relayed all the info she had gleaned from Neleh, finishing with, "So now we have definite proof that they were on the islands five days ago."

"Five days is a long time, Gina."

"I know, Stevie, but I'd like to give it another day or two and see if I hear anything more. Unless you think I should-"

"No, no, I think you're right – especially if they're still on the islands. The trial starts tomorrow so I'm heading back to the city."

"Will you be seeing Gino?"

"If the opportunity presents itself – I'll be sure to give him your love. You just focus on finding Sadie. We'll need to have her before we talk to Papa Tony. Capisci?"

"Si, Stevie."

* * *

Tony ducked through the throngs of people at Newark airport, looking for Feds and cops in plain clothes. He knew that they would be staking out the terminals and baggage claim areas but since he didn't have any luggage to check, he was hoping that he would be able to slip through the cracks. He had been able to dodge the last of the road blocks back in New Mexico and had slowly been making his way across the country for the past two days. But he was tired and knowing that time was about to run out and that he needed to be present in court tomorrow morning, he had hopped a flight this afternoon from Nashville. He noticed a pair of men with dark glasses standing by the security checkpoint and he ducked behind a pillar. _Damn it! How am I going to get by without them seeing me?_

He stiffened as he felt the cool metal barrel of a gun poke him in the ribs from behind. "Welcome home, Mr. Forelli. We've been waiting for you."

Tony slowly raised his hands and pivoted on one foot to see Detective Simon grinning at him. "Why, Detective! I didn't know that Newark airport was on your beat!"

Simon shrugged. "It's not usually, but when you jumped bail-"

Tony raised his hands a bit higher. "Hey, wait a minute. Didn't my dad tell you? I went upstate to visit my sick aunt."

"Your dad's an only child."

"She's actually an old friend of the family – but I've always called her 'auntie'."

"Ah, now isn't that a sweet story," Simon drawled. "You'll have plenty of time to tell it to the Feds while you're cooling your heels in the slammer tonight."

"But, my Pop is ill-"

Simon prodded him to start walking. "Should have thought of that before you jumped bail and left the state. I hear they've got new charges to file against you too."

Tony whirled around to face the Detective. "What charges?" he demanded, going pale beneath his olive toned skin.

"Attempted murder and two counts of kidnapping," Simon clicked his tongue in disapproval at the young man in front of him. "You've been a busy boy – not to mention a very, very naughty one."

* * *

When Marshall stepped off the plane at Newark International, he felt like all his senses had kicked into overdrive. Every little sound made him jump, his eyes were constantly looking for a threat to his safety, and he found himself waiting for others to step off the plane before he did – just in case someone was waiting around the corner. He hated how tense and jumpy he was – he felt like he had run a marathon and yet he had done nothing but sit on a plane for hours. Sit and run scenarios of everything and anything that could go wrong in the next couple of days. As he walked up the gangway to the terminal, trying to get the stiffness out of his wounded leg, he tried to picture Mary and Sadie, safe and sound back at the bungalow in Paradise. Glancing at his wristwatch, he figured they would be sitting down to dinner about now. He hoped for their sake that they were digging into the leftovers and that Mary hadn't tried to cook. His Mary had many talents – but cooking wasn't one of them.

As soon as Marshall stepped into the building, he spotted the team of US Marshals that had come to meet him. Marshals never had any trouble spotting each other – Mary said it was a kind of "dork sensing radar", while he preferred to think of it as people who belong to the same club can always pick out its members, even in a crowd of thousands, and no matter what their attire. These east coast Marshals dressed more like Feds, with dark glasses and suits, but the star badges on their hips gave their identities away. The older of the two men stepped forward.

"Marshal Marshall Mann?" he asked, not even cracking a smile at the double name. "I'm Steward Plum and this is my partner, John Figgs. Come with us, please."

Marshall bit down hard on the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing aloud at the names and wished that Mary was here to enjoy this moment. _Plum and Figgs? Seriously? And people make fun of my name?_

"I'm sorry, but could I see some identification first? I know, it probably sounds-"

Both men were already reaching into their pockets and flipping open their picture ID's. "Don't apologize, Mr. Mann," said the younger man, John Figgs. "We've been briefed on your situation and are well aware that you were kidnapped by a man who posed as a US Marshal."

The levity Marshall had been feeling at their names fled. "He wasn't posing, Mr. Figgs – Chris Santis actually was a US Marshal – that's what makes his crime so insidious. Who knows what he learned about WitSec in the years he was in the Marshal Service." Fresh waves of anger coursed through Marshall at the thought of all the witnesses' lives that had been put in jeopardy and perhaps lost through that man's actions.

"Of course, sir, and we're going to do our best to nail the bastard," Figgs stated, his expression as blank as his partners.

_Good grief, these men are robots!_ Marshall sighed. "Well, let's get going, shall we? This is the only luggage I have-" he lifted his carry on to show them, "so if you don't mind, I'd like to join the rest of my colleagues at the hotel as soon as possible."

Plum nodded. "Of course, sir."

* * *

Stan looked up from the newspaper as the door opened to see Figgs enter the room. His eyes swept the small space before finally landing on Stan.

"The room is secure," he spoke into his earpiece and listening to the response, he left again without saying anything.

A moment later, the door opened again and there stood Marshall with Plum hovering in the doorway behind him.

"Stan!"

"Marshall!"

The men embraced each other, giving loud slaps on the back to cover up the emotion that was present in both of their eyes. Marshall pulled away first, throwing his duffel on the other bed and looked at the connecting door.

"Is Carmen in there?"

Stan nodded. "With her own team of Marshals."

"Where's Charlie?"

"He stayed behind in Albuquerque to hold down the fort with Alison."

Marshall shook his head as he stretched out on the unoccupied bed. "Poor kid – no one should have to suffer that. Is Carmen sleeping?"

Stan's eyes darted to Plum who was still standing guard by the door, which was now closed. "That'll be all, Plum."

Plum looked surprised. "It's my job to protect Mr. Mann."

"Not from Stan," Marshall shook his head.

Plum looked unconvinced.

"Look, why don't you stand right outside and I'll yell if I need you?"

Plum stared for a long minute before grunting an affirmative, opening and slamming the door shut behind him.

"Where'd you get Mr. Personality?" Marshall asked, jerking a thumb in the direction of the door.

Stan put up his hands. "Hey, don't look at me. After the fiasco in Albuquerque, our bosses and Tippy wanted to be sure you'd be protected this time so the Tutti-fruitti twins are presents direct from them."

He grunted. "Another mark against Tippy. So, is Carmen ok?"

Stan sighed. "I think so – the travel really wore her out. She slept the whole way out here – barely woke up when we landed, and fell asleep as soon as we got to the hotel. I'm worried she-"

The connecting door opened and a sleepy Carmen appeared. "I thought I heard – Marshall!" She walked across to his bed, dropping beside him. He sat up and remembering her injury, carefully embraced her about the shoulders. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes," she sniffed as she pulled away.

"So are you, Carmen," he smiled at her. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, sore, achy. And I miss Sadie so much I can hardly breathe."

"Maybe I can help with that." Marshall swung his long legs off the bed and retrieved his duffel bag from the floor. Placing it between them on the bed, he began digging through the contents, first drawing out a piece of paper. "Sadie made you a picture."

Carmen took it in trembling hands, afraid it would disappear. She smiled as the tears flowed down her cheeks, her fingers lovingly tracing her daughter's artwork. "It's the two of us – on the beach?"

He nodded and she smiled. "Thank you, Marshall."

"And here," he handed her his phone, "I took this picture this morning just before I left. I can hook it up to Stan's lap top and print it out for you later."

Carmen took the phone and looked down into her daughter's smiling face. She was sitting on Mary's lap and both of them were making funny faces at the camera. She drank in every feature of her daughter, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and the sadness that lingered even though she was laughing. And even though he had done a good job of hiding it, she still saw the cast on Sadie's arm.

She looked up at Marshall. "Tell me the truth: how is my daughter?"

He swallowed. "She's-"

"The truth, Marshall."

"She has good days and not so good days, Carmen. She's seen more horrors than any child her age should. She has nightmares and she wets the bed – but she's still laughing and outgoing, she's made a new friend – his name is Jacen. They have a lot of fun playing together. She's going to be OK, Carmen."

"But she's not right now?"

He sighed. "I wasn't going to show you this – but Stan says you haven't been able to remember what happened that night. Well, Sadie saw the whole thing-"

The phone slipped through her fingers. "God, no!"

"She doesn't remember it either – at least not completely. Just bits and pieces – but she did draw this." He handed her the picture Mary had shown him – the one Mary had described as proof.

Carmen stared at the violent red drawing as images began to pound her head: Sadie – Tony – screams – pain – the gun -

The next thing she knew, Marshall was shaking her shoulders. "Carmen? Carmen! Are you all right?"

Slowly the pounding in her head eased and she focused on his concerned face as she nodded.

He dropped his hands. "What happened?"

"I remember. I remember what happened that night."

* * *

**Wow - lots going on in this chapter, huh? What exactly did Carmen remember? Are Mary and Sadie safe in Hawaii? Stay tuned . . . Reviews are LOVE!**


	18. Recall

**A/N: So I've awakened from my Thanksgiving food coma - sorry for the long delay. Enjoy!**

* * *

"So Sadie's drawing triggered Carmen's memory?"

Marshall started to nod before he remembered that Mary couldn't see him. "Yeah," he spoke into the phone. "She stared at the drawing for a long time but I could tell she wasn't really focusing on it. When she finally refocused on me and Stan, she told us she remembered what happened but refused to tell us, saying she was going to save it for court."

Mary's sigh came over the line. "I wonder why. You don't suppose - Do you think Tony raped her?"

Marshall shut his eyes, trying to block out the words. "I'd be lying if I said the thought hadn't occurred to me. But the doctors didn't mention any signs of sexual trauma-"

"We didn't have a rape kit done-"

"We didn't see any signs that led us to believe a sexual assault might have taken place, Mer. Don't blame yourself for not thinking of it at the time. I didn't think of it either."

"Do you think that's why she doesn't want to talk about it?"

He sighed. "Maybe – maybe not. It could just be the simple fact that she doesn't want to repeat it multiple times before the trial."

"Do you think she'll be called to the stand tomorrow?"

"Tippy has to file the new charges and get bail revoked and opening statements have to be heard. So if Carmen gets called, it won't be until the very end of the day."

"What a mess." Mary sighed again. "At least she'll have another day to rest – how's she doing, health wise?"

"Well, her wound is closed and healing but she really doesn't need the additional stress at this point in her recovery. I mean, you remember from your own shooting – if you'd had to travel across the country to testify at your murdering husband's trial-"

"Marshall, she's going to be fine. I know she's young, but Carmen's made of much tougher stuff than you give her credit for."

"I know, it's just-"

"Just what?"

"I can't stop thinking about all the things that could still go wrong, Mer."

"Try. You've each got a team of Marshals protecting you – how's that going, by the way?"

With a grin, Marshall stretched out on the bed and told her of his first meeting with Figgs and Plum, trying desperately to keep the humor out of his voice. When he finished with his arrival at the hotel and Plum's refusal to leave him alone with Stan, Mary cut in with a snort.

"You're pulling my leg."

"I swear to God, Mer, the man refused to leave me alone with Stan-"

"No, no, no. Figgs and Plum? Have you checked them for pits yet?"

Marshall chuckled. "I thought I'd get to know them better first. Stan calls Carmen's team the tutti-frutti twins."

She laughed. "As long as they can shoot what they aim at, I'm okay with it. I already know there's no one out there that can protect your ass like me."

"How's Sadie?"

"She's asleep, for now. When she realized that you'd really left, she sat in my lap and cried for an hour. Jacen was finally able to coax her back outside to the beach but only if I went along. Jenna brought out a picnic supper and it was the first time since I was eight that I had a meal encrusted with sand – I didn't like it."

He laughed. "I miss you."

There was a slight pause before she answered, "We miss you too." There was another pause before Mary whispered. "I have to go."

He sat up on the bed. "Everything all right?"

"Sadie's moving around in her sleep –" her voice cut off as he heard Sadie scream.

"GRUMPY!"

"Mary, is-"

"It's just a nightmare, kiddo- you're ok," Mary said soothingly to Sadie and her words calmed Marshall as well. She spoke into the phone: "I have to go. Call us tomorrow?"

"I will. I lo-"

But the phone had gone dead.

* * *

Marshall's eyes drifted open, unsure of what had awakened him at this time of night. It had taken him forever to fall asleep after his phone call with Mary had ended so abruptly. He had wanted nothing more than to cross the miles between them to scoop Sadie into his arms, chase away her night terrors, and rock her back to sleep. Then he could turn to his partner, his lover and return to their bed down the hall and. . . .

He rolled over with a moan and punched the lumpy pillow under his head, trying to get a more comfortable position for his head. As he settled once again under the covers, he heard a soft sniffling sound coming under the crack of the connecting door. _Carmen. Carmen is crying._ As the realization hit him, guilt overtook him because of his earlier thoughts and desires. It should be Carmen comforting Sadie – not him. They were mother and daughter and the two of them had been apart for far too long.

He heard the sound of the connecting door open slowly. "Marshall? Are you awake?" Carmen called softly.

The sound of a gun cocking was enough to send Marshall bounding from the bed. "Stand down, Plum," he hissed. "It's Carmen."

Plum had insisted on sleeping in the room with Marshall and Stan, not minding in the least that there wasn't room for a rollaway bed. He had dozed upright in the desk chair and at the sound of a door opening, had drawn his weapon without bothering to see who it was. Carmen was frozen in the connecting doorway, her eyes wide and terrified as Marshall crossed the small room and lowered Plum's hand.

Plum applied the safety and placed his gun back on the desk within reach. "Sorry sir, but I'm not taking any chances with your life."

Marshall grunted. "Well, I guess I should be grateful that you only drew on the woman." He turned back to Carmen who was still frozen. "Carmen, are you all right?"

His words broke the trance and more tears spilled out of her eyes. "I'm sorry, but I needed to talk and I-" Carmen stopped and cleared her throat, looking nervously at Plum.

Marshall reached out and drew Carmen into the room, shutting the connecting door behind her. He picked up his wallet from the desk and extracted a couple of dollars. "Plum, would you go get Carmen and I a couple of sodas from the vending machine down the hall, please?"

Plum started to shake his head but Marshall slapped the money in the man's hand. "I also have a gun," he reminded the inspector.

Plum frowned but stalked from the room. Carmen forced a small laugh as she collapsed in the chair he had just vacated. "Wow, he's not much of a talker, is he?"

Marshall sat down on the corner of his bed, remembering to keep his voice low as Stan snored in the other bed not ten feet away. "Not much – how about your team?"

Carmen rolled her eyes. "The girls do nothing but talk. I think they figure if they talk and talk about nonsense I won't have time to think about the horrors I've faced and will be facing at the trial."

He smiled. "Maybe we should set them up on a double date."

She giggled as a soft knock sounded on the door. Marshall got up to answer it and found Plum standing there with the sodas.

"Thanks. I'll let you know when we're done talking."

"Sir, I don't-"

"I'm not in any danger from Carmen. Please wait outside, Plum."

"Yes, sir."

Marshall shut the door and made his way back to Carmen, who had an amused look on her face. "I wish I could do that," she sighed as she took one of the sodas.

"What?"

"Stand up for myself."

"You're doing that, Carmen."

She shook her head. "If I'd done it sooner, Sadie and I wouldn't be in this mess. I wouldn't have married Tony and been a mob wife. I wouldn't-"

He reached out and took her free hand. "Hey, don't do this to yourself, all right? You can play the coulda, shoulda, woulda game and never win because hindsight is always twenty-twenty. You're rectifying your mistakes now and starting over in WitSec with Sadie – hang onto that. Remember that, when the defense attorney is ripping you apart on the stand in the next day or two."

She gave his hand a squeeze before letting it go. "Did you talk to Mary tonight?"

He nodded and took a long sip of his soda, knowing what her next question would be.

"How's Sadie?"

"She was sleeping – tired out from playing with her friend, Jacen, all day." _God forgive me for leaving out the more upsetting details. _

Carmen sighed. "At least one of us is able to get some sleep tonight. I'm too keyed up to sleep."

"You know, you may not even get called to testify tomorrow – the lawyers have a bunch of preliminary arguments to get through before your testimony."

"You mean, I may just be sitting here all day twiddling my thumbs?"

He smiled. "Well, I'm hoping you'll sleep most of the time – you're still recovering."

She winced as she touched her stomach. "I know."

The silence stretched between them as Marshall let her drink her soda for awhile before he broke into her thoughts. "Was that all you wanted to talk about?"

"I – I wanted to explain why I didn't want to talk about the night of my shooting-"

He shook his head. "You don't have to explain anything to me, Carmen."

"Yes, I do. After everything you've done for me, for Sadie – " she stopped, clearing her throat. "I'm trying to figure out what to say – or rather how to say it. Because I know nothing can be done at this point. I mean, technically Tony's still my husband-"

"Carmen," Marshall said softly, his voice low and soft and dangerous, "are you trying to tell me that Tony forced himself on you that night? That he – raped you?"

Tears dripped down her face, off her nose and hit the top of her soda can. "Yes."

Marshall's tic was back as his fingers tightened around his own soda can. He reclaimed her hand and squeezed it, letting her know of his support, that he was there to listen if she wanted to continue.

"I woke up – and he was already on top of me," she was gasping for air between phrases. "I don't even know how he got in the house – how he beat the alarm-" she shrugged her shoulders. "And at first, I thought it was a nightmare. He was kissing me and I was fighting him and-" she fought back a sob, "and then he said we had to be quiet because we didn't want to wake Sadie-" this time a sob did escape. "That's when I realized it wasn't a nightmare and he was really there and he really was on top of me, naked. I said no," she said this defiantly. "I told him no and that's when he got mad. He said I was still his wife and that I didn't have the right to say no – and then –" she ripped her hand from Marshall's and tucked her knees up into herself. "He ripped my pajama bottoms off – and then he was inside me – and –" She began to rock back and forth.

"He raped me – my own husband raped me."

* * *

"It's going to be difficult as hell to prove, Marshall, and you know it."

He looked at his boss over the rim of his coffee cup and tried to keep a lid on his anger. "Stan, he broke into her house with the intent to kidnap her and her child. In the end, he raped and shot his wife."

Stan sighed. "We have him for the shooting – physical evidence is hard to ignore. But we never ran a rape kit, and without one this will just be a very nasty he said she said case between a husband and wife. Deep down, you know I'm right, Inspector."

Marshall's shoulders slumped as he set his cup down. "It's going to be damn hard not to shoot the SOB on sight."

Stan chuckled. "Let the justice system do its job. We've got him dead to rights for murder one, attempted murder, and two counts of kidnapping. He's going away for life – if not getting the death penalty."

"Can I give the injection?"

* * *

Mary opened her eyes and blew a long strand of dark hair from her mouth. Dawn was just beginning to break and chase the shadows from the room. She looked down at the peaceful countenance of Sadie sound asleep in her arms. Mary brushed back the dark locks from the girl's forehead, smoothing the sleep tousled strands away from her mouth. Sadie cuddled even closer, if that was possible, making a small whimper of protest when Mary tried to move away. Mary sighed. The girl had refused to return to her own bed last night after her nightmare and so they had both come in here, to what had been her and Marshall's room. Even though it was a queen bed, Sadie had wrapped herself in Mary's arms and refused to move for the rest of the night.

_Well, it kept me from being lonely – from sleeping in this bed alone._

She sighed as soon as the thought occurred to her. Mary had been sleeping alone for most of her adult life. Even when she had been seeing someone, she hadn't often stayed overnight with the guy. Waking up in a man's arms wasn't something she did – it wasn't something she enjoyed, looked forward to, or even wanted.

Until Marshall.

There were many things she hadn't wanted before Marshall – someone who got her shit and didn't run screaming for the hills, someone's arms to hold her all night long and was still there in the morning, someone's cooking to come home to, someone who called her 'my heart' and she didn't want to slap into next week.

Mary smiled. _That last one is a minor miracle._

Sadie began to stir and Mary moved away, unwinding the girl's arms from around her neck. Sadie whimpered, still half asleep. "No, don't go, Grumpy. Stay."

Something broke open and warmed inside of Mary at the plea. Still, she steeled herself from the words and slipped from the bed. In a few days, a week at the most, Sadie would be reunited with Carmen and the two of them would be relocated. It was time to start rebuilding those walls around her heart – otherwise when the time came it was going to hurt like hell to say goodbye.

She crept softly down the hall to Sadie's room, knowing that she needed to gather the soiled linen and put it in the washer to soak. The girl had been too upset and clingy for her to start the wash last night so she had been forced to leave the sheets on the bed. As she stripped the mattress, she silently thanked Jenna again for lending her Jacen's old plastic mattress pad; it had done its job in spades and protected the bed from urine. Mary picked up Mr. Bear to see if he needed to be tossed into the laundry and remembered Marshall saying that Sadie's passport was inside.

Sitting down on the bare mattress, she unzipped the stuffed toy and gasped in surprise as a shower of paper confetti fell into her lap. But as she examined the confetti more closely, she saw that it was actually Marshall's origami: stars, hearts, and dozens of animals. The shapes were dirty, covered with dust from the desert and some of them had dark blotches on them. _Blood? _Mary realized as she let the pieces fall through her fingers that these must be the same ones Marshall had made in the car for Sadie before Chris kidnapped them. Sadie must have saved them before the SUV was torched.

"Grumpy?"

Mary's head snapped up to see the sleepy girl standing in the doorway. "Hey Kiddo – I didn't hear you get up."

Sadie crossed the room to her side. "You found Sadie's toys."

Mary smiled as Sadie sat beside her on the bed. "Marshall made these for you, didn't he? In the car on the way to Denver?"

Sadie nodded as she held up a star. "Star make stars," she giggled. "Sadie miss Star."

"Me too, Kiddo. But he's with your Mama, remember?"

Sadie nodded, as she slipped her hand into Mary's. "And you with Sadie."

Mary's heart constricted. "Yes – I'm with you."

She climbed into Mary's lap. "Sadie love Grumpy."

There was suddenly a lump in Mary's throat. _Damn it, I should have started building these walls back up sooner._

* * *

"So Carmen didn't get called today?"

"No, but she's up first thing in the morning."

"Good luck getting any sleep tonight."

"Thanks."

"Marshall, are you going to tell me what's wrong or are we going to continue to make polite conversation for a few more minutes before I drag it out of you?"

His sigh came over the phone loud and clear and made her grip the phone a little more tightly. "We were right, Mer – the one time I wish we weren't. God, I wish we weren't."

Mary groped for the kitchen counter behind her to keep her balance. "That SOB raped her, didn't he?"

His silence on the line spoke volumes.

"Please tell me we can nail him for this too."

"We don't have any evidence, Mer, other than her testimony and you know that Tony will refute it. Stan told me to take solace in the fact that he'll still be getting life and hopefully the death penalty."

Mary ground her teeth. "After what he's put Sadie and Carmen through, life in prison is too good for him, Marshall. I want you to nail his balls to the wall, do you hear me?"

"Believe me, Sunshine, that's the plan."

* * *

"I didn't think I'd be hearing from you again, Neleh."

"Well, it turns out I have more information for you, love. That is, if you're interested."

Gina looked around the bar, taking in the fact that no one was paying any attention to the two of them. She shrugged a slim shoulder. "I'm interested in any information that helps me find my niece."

Neleh licked her lips. "Wait here – I'll go get my nephew."

Gina's eyebrows rose in surprise when a few minutes later Neleh returned with a tall, gangly youth who couldn't have been twenty-one. She turned a disapproving eye to the woman.

"Serving alcohol to minors?"

"Naw, Auntie Neleh's too strict. I help out in the restaurant out front," the kid jerked a thumb to the right. Neleh smiled proudly before she waddled off to refill some empty glasses.

"I see," Gina nodded. "So, you're the one with information for me?"

"Maybe – what's it worth?"

Gina tried hard not to roll her eyes. _Good grief, the whole family is in the racketeering business. I'm surprised Neleh's sister didn't come to the first meeting to demand her piece of the action! _"Depends on what you got. Sit down," she gestured to the empty stool across from her.

The youth sat down and grinned. "You have an accent – are you sure you're an American?"

Gina ignored the urge to put him in a headlock. "Yes. Now, what can you tell me about a little girl named Sadie?"

"Not so fast, lady. Why don't I buy you a drink, so we can get to know each other a little bit?"

This time she couldn't stop the eye roll. "Look, I'm really very busy looking for my niece and if you don't have any-" she said as she slid off the stool.

He stopped her progress with his large hands, waving them on either side of her. "Relax, sit back down. I didn't say I didn't have any info. Geez, okay lady. All business, I see."

Gina reclaimed her seat and stared pointedly at him.

He shrugged. "Ok, you win. But I hope you make it worth my while because I'm saving for college."

Gina nodded. "Go on."

"Three days ago, my buds and I were on Maui at Cheeseburger in Paradise when I heard this little kid screaming at the top of her lungs. . . ."

* * *

"I want to see my boy."

"Mr. Forelli, court's about to start in twenty minutes. You can see your son then."

"I'll be able to see my son – but not have a discussion. I wish to talk to him – alone."

The two feds looked at each other, holding a whispered conversation in their earpieces, before opening the door of the holding room. "Five minutes, Mr. Forelli."

"Pop! What are you doing here?" Tony tried to stand, but he was shackled to his chair and he winced as the chains jerked him back.

Anthony Sr. waited until the door swung shut behind him before he turned and faced his son. He slowly took off his dark glasses and put them in the breast pocket of his three piece suit. "Where else would I be, Anthony? I'm only glad your sainted mother, God rest her soul, didn't live to see this day."

"I'm sorry, Pop."

Anthony Sr. walked further into the small room. "For what, son? For jumping bail? For shooting your wife? For getting caught?"

Tony's mouth went dry at the rage he saw burning in his father's eyes. "I know I've let you down-"

"Let me down," his father repeated the words slowly, as if he was feeling them out. "You have no idea what your actions have cost and will cost this family, Anthony."

Tony slumped back in his chair. "I just wanted-"

The sound of his father's hand hitting the metal table caused him to jump in his chair. His eyes fell to the top of his shoes.

"I know what you wanted, son. You wanted your wife and child back. But did you come to me? No!" Again he slammed the table. "Instead you and Gino took it upon yourselves to try and rectify the situation and look at the colossal mess you've made. Tell me son, why I shouldn't just let you lie in the bed you've made?"

Tony's head whipped up so fast it would have been humorous under different circumstances. "Pop, no! I-"

The door opened. "Time's up."

Anthony Sr. turned to leave.

"Pop, wait! I'm your son – your only son! You can't just-"

The door shut.

* * *

"I thought you didn't want me to do anything."

"Time's running out – and Papa Tony's very upset with Junior. I'm thinking if you bring Sadie home, it will be the perfect time for us to make our move."

"You really think so?"

"I really do."

"Okay, Stevie. Wish me luck."

"I wish you more than luck, Fiorello. Don't screw this up."

* * *

**Reviews are LOVE!**


	19. Pineapple

**A/N: Here's the chapter you've all been waiting for - the big action climax!**

* * *

"I don't think I can do this."

Carmen stood frozen in the hallway, a US Marshal on either side. Just as she thought she was going to throw up, Marshall stepped in front of her.

"Yes, you can. Just think about Sadie, all right? She's waiting for you."

Her daughter's face filled her mind and resolve stiffened her shoulders. She took a step – then another.

And realized that Marshall wasn't by her side anymore.

She whirled and saw him still standing in the same spot. "Aren't you coming with me?"

He shook his head. "I can't – I haven't given my testimony yet."

She flew back to his side. "Can't you just slip in and sit in the back?"

He smiled sadly. "It doesn't work that way. Your Marshals, Sami and Sandi, will be with you-"

"I don't want them, I want you!" She wailed.

His eyebrows rose in surprise and he cleared his throat uncomfortably.

She flushed a deep red. "I didn't mean that like it sounded – I don't want you like that- it's just that I've come to think of you as an older brother," she finished lamely, looking down at her toes.

He rested his hands on her shoulders. "Carmen, I'm flattered."

Her head shot up, her eyes meeting his uncertainly. "Really?"

He nodded. "Now, get in there and nail the bastard."

* * *

Stan watched as Carmen entered the courtroom flanked by Sami and Sandi, the Barbie girls. Even though the blond airheads painted their nails and chewed bubblegum to excess, Stan knew that at least one of them was an excellent shot. Just last night, one of Tony's men had followed them back to the hotel. Sami or Sandi had chased him off and then the other had fired at the taillights of his car. Intelligent conversation they might not be able to provide but at least they could shoot.

_Mary would approve. _Stan nodded silently and dismissed the niggling fear in the back of his mind that nothing was ever going to be the same. He had seen the way Mary had hovered over Marshall in that cabin and later in the hospital – had seen the emotion clearly written on her face. His two inspectors were headed for a more intimate relationship – if they weren't already in one. And the fact that this case had turned everything upside down, forced his best team to essentially join WitSec themselves in order to protect one of their youngest witnesses – well, to say he had a bad feeling about it all would be a huge understatement.

Stan snapped back to the present in time to see Tippy wheeling towards Carmen after she had been sworn in.

"Mrs. Forelli-"

"Angela, please."

Stan smiled. He knew how much it upset Carmen to be addressed by a name she had shed like a snake skin. She didn't even want to be addressed as 'Angela' but for the court, not to mention the Forelli family, to find out her new identity would be as good as putting the bullet in the back of her own head. He listened with half an ear as Tippy led her quickly through her relationship with Tony and the Forelli family, letting his eyes wander around the courtroom. Anthony Forelli, Sr. was sitting directly behind his son with a bodyguard on each side. Stan was a little surprised to see him, since it had been rumored that the man had been in ill health for a number of years. But Stan guessed that Papa Tony wouldn't miss his boy's trial.

"Tell us what happened on the night of April 6th."

Carmen sat up in the chair a little straighter. "I went to the opera, La Boehme, with a friend. Both of us have small children and didn't want to be out too late so we didn't go out to coffee afterwards so perhaps I arrived home earlier than expected. When I opened the front door, I heard voices, angry voices coming from my husband's study and I began to move that way in concern. My bodyguard, Gino, tried to block my way but I evaded him and opened the door."

She paused and Tippy prompted her. "What did you see?"

"I saw my husband, Tony Forelli, pointing a gun at Joey Pavorilli." She licked her lips.

"What happened then, Angela?"

"He shot Joey – he killed him."

Joey's family erupted at Carmen's words, prompting the judge to bang his gavel and order a short recess.

* * *

"You are the Marshal that my son kidnapped?"

Marshall straightened from his relaxed posture against one of the pillars outside the courtroom. He stared down at the older man in front of him. _So this is Anthony Forelli Sr. Funny, I thought he'd have more of a Godfather air about him._

"Yes."

Anthony Sr. nodded. "I am sorry for what my son did to you."

Marshall wasn't sure how to respond to that so he ignored it for now. "And to your granddaughter?"

The older man sighed. "That is different – Sadie is family. She belongs with us."

Marshall felt the rage building inside of him and he worked hard to tamp it down. "With all due respect, sir, she belongs with her mother, not people whose business is killing."

Anthony grinned. "So, you have passed judgment on us and found us guilty, yes?"

"Let's just say, I still have the bullet wound to back up my claim." He reached down to rub a hand across his thigh.

The other man followed the movement with his eyes and understanding lit them. "Again, I apologize for my son. He is young and bound to make mistakes."

Marshall's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Mistakes? That is what you call murder, kidnapping, child abuse, rape?"

Anthony Sr. had gone pale beneath his olive toned skin. "What is this you say? Child abuse – rape?" his voice rasped over the words.

Marshall jerked a thumb towards the courtroom doors. "Stick around, Papa Tony, and you'll hear all about your boy's 'mistakes'."

* * *

"Why are you so jumpy, Mary?"

"I don't know, Jenna. I can't explain it – I just feel like-"

"Like what?"

Mary bit her lip and took another sip of iced tea, shaking her head. "I don't know."

All morning she had fought off the feeling of uneasiness. At first she thought it had something to do with the trial but as the day slowly progressed and she hadn't heard anything from Marshall, she figured that Carmen's testimony must be going on as planned and he was busy. Which meant there must be another reason for her tension; Mary had learned long ago never to ignore her instincts. While she scoffed at psychics and she didn't claim to have a sixth sense, when it came to her witnesses, she never ignored her instincts.

"I'm thinking Sadie and I should leave tomorrow instead of waiting another day."

"But why?" Jenna nearly wailed. "Jacen and I are going to miss you so much as it is!"

"I know and I'm sorry but-" Mary shrugged.

Jenna nodded slowly in understanding. "You have a feeling."

Mary nodded.

* * *

After the lunch recess, Tippy finally got around to asking Carmen about what happened a week ago.

"Angela, I'd like you to tell the court what happened on Tuesday, July 6th."

Carmen dropped her eyes, concentrating on the hands in her lap. "I don't know how he did it – but my husband found me in – my new location, at my house and in the middle of the night, he broke in and – and raped me," her voice broke.

Tony jumped up from his seat at the defense table. "That's a lie! I never raped her! We're married – she's my wife – my Angel! Angela, how can you sit there and tell those lies about me? About us? We made love-"

The judge was banging his gavel for order as Carmen leapt to her feet. "It wasn't love, Tony! You forced me! I said no and you forced me! I hate you!"

"Clear the court, now!" The banging of the gavel cut through their shouting and suddenly Sami and Sandi were at her elbows steering her towards the exit.

But all Carmen could see was Tony: staring at her, yelling at her, reaching for her, as Sami and Sandi tried to protect her as they passed close to the defense table. Carmen knew she and Sadie would never be free from this man. Even if her testimony convicted him there would be appeal after appeal until his lawyer found some legal loophole for him to slither through. And then he would come hunting for her and Sadie – to claim what was **his.**

With a yell, Carmen grabbed Sandi's gun and fired. Pandemonium erupted as people scattered from the sound of the shot, the courtroom doors flying open as they fled. Sandi and Sami grabbed a now limp Carmen as she slid to the floor, sobbing her daughter's name. And at the defense table sprawled the body of Tony Forelli Jr., his eyes wide open in shock, a bullet hole in his chest.

* * *

"Sadie no go."

Mary sighed. "I know, Kiddo. But Marshall wants us to meet him back on the mainland in another day or two and I have a feeling that-" she broke off, not wanting to scare Sadie and at the same time she wanted to let her know that their leaving was necessary.

Sadie placed her small hand on Mary's knee. "Grumpy protect Sadie?"

Mary drew in X over her heart. "I promise."

"Okay. Jacen go too."

Mary tried not to groan in frustration. "Sorry, Kiddo. Jenna and Jacen have to stay here in Hawaii."

Sadie cocked her head. It was such an imitation of Marshall that Mary smiled.

"Why?"

"This is where they live – I'm glad you made a new friend and you can Skype with him, ok? But I'm afraid he can't come with us – his mom would miss him too much."

Sadie nodded. "I miss mama."

"I know. You'll see her soon. Now, Jenna and Jacen are taking you out to eat-"

"Grumpy too?"

"Well, I was going to start -"

"No, come!"

"All right, but we both need to clean up first!"

* * *

"Squirt, hurry up! We need to go pick up Sadie!" Jenna called up the stairs.

"Coming, mom!" Jacen yelled just as the bell over the office door jingled, signaling the arrival of a new customer.

_Not now, _Jenna frowned in annoyance as she hurried through the beaded curtain that separated their personal living quarters from the front office area.

"May I help you, miss? Are you looking for a place to stay – I'm afraid I'm full up at the moment, but-"

"Actually, I'm looking for someone."

The words brought Jenna up short and she studied the petite redheaded woman in front of her very carefully. She knew that she had seen her somewhere before, but where?

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to give out my guests names-"

"Please, ma'am," the woman pleaded. "I'm looking for my niece – she's been kidnapped, you see."

"Oh, how terrible!" Even as she said the words, alarm bells were going off in her head. Jenna began inching her way down the counter to where she kept 'wanted' posters as well as her cell phone. "I haven't seen any suspicious-"

"Oh, but I have very good information that my niece was last seen in your company."

Jenna's eyebrows rose even as her eyes fell on the stack of posters. The woman's picture was on top and the feeling of dread settled in her stomach. This was Gina, one of the people looking for Sadie.

Jenna squared her shoulders as she reached for her phone. "I'm afraid you're mistaken and if you don't leave now, I'll be forced-"

"Mom, what's-"

Jacen stopped in his tracks as the woman pointed her gun at him and smiled back over her shoulder at Jenna.

"No more games, Jenna. Take me to Sadie, and no one has to get hurt."

* * *

Mary was towel drying her hair when she heard her phone beep with a text message.

"We're coming, Jenna," she said as she picked it up, only to stare in alarm at the one word message.

_**Pineapple**_

She dropped the phone on the bed as she ran into Sadie's room where the girl was playing with her paper menagerie of animals. Sadie's eyes widened at the sight of Mary in her birthday suit.

She dropped to her knees, looking into Sadie's dark eyes. "Hey, kiddo. I need you to get in your closet and stay there. Don't come out no matter what you hear until I come and get you, all right?"

"Bad people?" Sadie whispered.

Mary nodded.

"Okay, Grumpy." Sadie scooped up Mr. Bear and without any argument shut herself into the small corner closet, hiding under a blanket.

Only then did Mary run to her room to slip on a loose fitting sundress and reach under the nightstand for her gun.

_I really hope I don't have to fire this – Sadie is scared enough._

* * *

Jenna used her master key to unlock the bungalow and stuck her head inside. "Knock, knock, anybody home? Mary, Sadie?"

Silence greeted her and Jenna turned back to look at Gina. "I guess they've already left."

Gina sneered as she poked the barrel of her gun into Jenna's ribs. "Let's go inside and make sure."

Jenna kept herself between Jacen and the gun, keeping her hands resting on her son's small shoulders, whispering a prayer for their safety and hoping that Mary got her text message in time to prepare a surprise.

The bungalow looked empty, and Jenna's hopes continued to rise. "They were planning to leave tomorrow morning – maybe they decided to leave early."

Jacen nodded his head eagerly.

"Where are the bedrooms?"

Jenna pointed to the small hallway. "Go ahead – we'll wait here for you."

"I don't think so – after you," she gestured with her gun and Jenna had no choice but to lead them down the darkened hallway.

"This first one's a bathroom."

"Open it."

Jenna reached out a hand, silently amazed that it wasn't shaking. The door creaked open to reveal a bath in wild disarray complete with a partially steamed mirror.

Gina smiled as she stepped into the cramped space. "They haven't been gone long."

"Maybe they're on the beach," Jacen suggested and Jenna shot her son a dirty look.

"They like the beach?" Gina encouraged him.

"Oh yes, Sadie loves the beach."

Jenna noticed a slight movement behind the open door. The toilet was obscured from view– was it possible that Mary was standing on it?

"That's a good idea, son! Let's go check the beach."

Gina narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Not before we check the rest of the bungalow." She waved them out of the bathroom.

Jenna and Jacen were in the hall when they heard a groan and loud thud behind them. Jenna shoved her son to the side before she looked back into the bathroom.

Mary crouched over Gina's unconscious body. "It's okay, Jenna, she'll be out for awhile." Mary stood up and placed her gun on the closed toilet lid.

Jenna rushed in and hugged Mary tightly. "I was so scared, Mary! When I realized who she was, I didn't know if I had enough time to text the safe word to you and she had a gun on Jacen and-"

Mary pulled back and shook her, hard. "Jenna, stop!"

Jenna took a breath, breathing deep gulps of air. "You're right. I'm sorry, I don't usually panic, it's just this sort of thing doesn't happen to me every day!"

Mary couldn't help but laugh. "I should hope not!"

Jacen had joined them in the bathroom and was staring down at Gina. "How cool was that! Mom, can Aunt Mary teach me that ninja move?"

"No!" both women said together.

"Aw, mom!" Jacen whined. "Hey, where's Sadie?"

"Oh, God!" Mary ran down the hall, threw open the bedroom door and went straight to the small closet. She ripped back the blanket on the floor and a crying Sadie blinked up at her.

"Grumpy? Sadie safe?"

Her heart constricted with pain. _How many times has this child had to ask this question? Is this the last time? Please God, let this be the last time!_ The walls around her heart once again crumbled as she scooped the girl up into her arms. "Yes, Sadie safe."

Sadie sighed against Mary's neck."Sadie love Grumpy."

Mary gave up fighting. "Grumpy love Sadie."

* * *

"Jacen!"

Sadie wriggled out of Mary's hold to meet her friend in the middle of the hallway.

Jacen's arms wrapped around her. "You ok, Sadie?"

She nodded, her dark curls bouncing. "Grumpy protect Sadie."

"You hungry?"

"Yes!"

Both sets of eyes looked at Mary, silently demanding food. Mary threw up her hands in defeat. "There's fruit and chips in the kitchen – but just a quick snack, ok? We have to go."

"OK!" the kids yelled as they ran down the hall.

Jenna looked up from the bathroom floor as she finished tying Gina's ankles together. "What happens now?"

"Nothing's changed except Sadie and I need to get off the island in the next hour instead of waiting for tomorrow morning."

Jenna frowned down at the still unconscious woman. "How hard did you hit her?"

Mary smiled. "Hard – I was mad," she shrugged. "She'll be out for awhile."

"Think she told anyone else where she was going?"

"Let's check her purse."

Mary dug through Gina's purse and came up with the woman's cell. She quickly checked the call log, her face growing more and more concerned. "There are a lot of calls here to someone named 'Stevie' with a New York area code." She frowned. "I wonder if that's her brother Stefano?"

Jenna nodded as she bit her lip. "It's safe to assume then that she was in contact with her family and they know you're here-"

"And that they know who you are as well," Mary finished. "Jenna, how fast-"

She held up a hand. "I know the drill, Mary. Do me a favor and keep Jacen here with you, ok? I'll have a bag packed for each of us and be ready to leave in twenty minutes."

Mary grabbed her hand. "Jenna, I'm sorry."

The other woman shook her head. "Don't be. You and Marshall and Sadie are family now – that's something I didn't think Jamie and I would ever have again." She paused in the bathroom doorway and looked down at Gina. "What are we going to do with her?"

Mary's smile widened. "Nothing. We'll leave her here as a present for your housekeeping staff."

* * *

Marshall had been dozing against the pillar when the report of a gunshot came from inside the courtroom. He had run for the doors only to be pushed back as the spectators pushed open the doors, fleeing from whatever hell had just broken loose inside. He could hear the judge yelling for the courtroom to be cleared and for the bailiff to take Carmen into custody.

"Wait, what's happened?" he yelled. "Stan? Stan!" he called as he spied his boss at the front of the melee.

Stan turned and caught his inspector's eye and the grief he saw in them nearly made him stumble back another step. Pushing his way past the remaining few people, he went against the flow until he stopped for another reason altogether. In front of him on the defense table, Tony lay dead from a gunshot wound to his chest.

Stan was suddenly at his elbow.

"How?" he whispered hoarsely.

The sound of sobbing directed his attention to the collapsed figure of Carmen, as she was being assisted to her feet by a bailiff and Sandi. "No," he moaned. "Stan, no," he broke away from his boss as he hurried to Carmen's side.

The bailiff tried to prevent him but Marshall elbowed his way past. "Carmen? Carmen!" Marshall's voice broke through her sobs and she looked up into his anguished face.

"Oh Marshall, I didn't – I didn't-"

"Hush, Carmen, I know you didn't mean to kill him."

A strange look came over her face. "Yes, I did. It was the only way to stop him – to keep him from coming after me and Sadie. But what I meant to say was I didn't think of Sadie – who's going to take care of her now?"

The bailiff started to drag her away but her fingers dug into his arms like talons. "Promise me, Marshall. Promise me, you'll take care of Sadie!"

Her fingers were ripped from his arms, drawing blood as the bailiff dragged her away. "Promise me, Marshall!" she screamed.

"I promise!" he called back.

* * *

"It wasn't your place to make that promise."

Marshall stared down into the grief stricken face of Anthony Sr. "I'm sorry for your loss, Sir. As to the matter of Sadie, you and I will never see eye to eye, so I think we should just agree to disagree."

"You are not family – Sadie is family, she is a Forelli. She belongs with me."

"You are not her only family."

"What are you talking about? Angela is an orphan – she has no idea who her parents are, where she comes from."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. Until the family court decides on the matter of custody, Sadie will remain safe in the care of the US Marshal Service."

"If you try and keep my granddaughter from me, you will be sorry, Marshal Marshall Mann."

"And if another kidnapping attempt should be made, I won't have to look very far for a suspect, will I, Mr. Forelli?" Marshall stared him down for a long moment before he walked slowly away.

Stefano waited until the tall Marshal was out of sight before he appeared at Papa Tony's side.

"Have you heard from your sister?"

"Not yet."

"If she cannot find Sadie-"

"I have complete faith in Gina, Papa Tony."

"Faith is one thing – results are another." Anthony paused to cough. "She's my only grandchild."

"We'll get her back. It's only a matter of time."

"I don't have a lot of that left, remember?"

"Please, Papa Tony, I don't like it when you talk like this."

"Sorry." He clamped a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "You're a good boy, Steve. You've always been like a son to me, you know that."

Stefano smiled. _One day very soon you'll know that I actually am._

* * *

As Marshall waited outside the hospital ward at Riker's, he didn't think this day could get any worse. And then his phone beeped with a text from Mary. He stared down at the one word message and felt his world crashing down around him:

_**Pineapple**_

Their safe word – the word they had agreed upon before he had left Hawaii that she would text if something went wrong. With shaking fingers he texted her back, praying with every keystroke that his girls were all right.

_**Are you ok**_

As he waited for the reply, he tried to tell himself that maybe it wasn't as bad as he thought. Maybe Sadie had had another crisis – but no one had actually found them, had burst into the bungalow with guns blazing and-

_**Yes**_

Never had that one simple word sounded so sweet. Relief flooded through him. It didn't matter that he was thousands of miles away and didn't know the details. At least he knew that they were all right. For now, it was enough.

"Marshal Mann?"

He looked up to see a stern nurse watching him. "Yes?"

"The doctor says you may have five minutes but you need to turn off all phones and any other electronic devices you may have."

He texted a reply quickly: _**I have to go. Call me later? Luv you**_

Hitting the power button, he followed the nurse into the locked prison ward. Carmen looked up as he came into the room and gave him a sleepy smile.

He drew a chair up to her bedside. "How are you feeling?"

"Really tired."

"I'll bet. Did you reopen your wound?"

She nodded. "The doctor said I'm lucky I didn't throw a clot."

"Carmen, I'm so sorry-"

She frowned at him. "What on earth do you have to be sorry for, Marshall?"

"For not doing a better job of protecting you and Sadie in the first place – for not tumbling to the fact that Chris was-"

"Stop right there." Carmen held up the hand that wasn't shackled to the bed. "You have nothing to apologize for. If it wasn't for you – Sadie would most definitely be back with her grandfather right now, and that's the last place I want her to be. The only thing keeping me going right now is knowing that she has you and Mary."

"Time's up," the nurse reappeared. "You can come back tomorrow."

"Get some rest, Carmen," he whispered.

She didn't answer; she was already asleep.

* * *

The kids watched the in-flight movie before falling asleep in an adorable heap. A flight attendant came by, smiled, turned out their overhead light, and covered them with a blanket. She smiled at Mary and Jenna across the aisle and continued on her way.

"You reached Marshall?"

Mary nodded. "Briefly. Long enough to tell him we were safe. He had to go – I guess court was running long today."

Jenna snuck another look at the kids. "Wasn't her mom going to start testifying today?"

"Yeah, I hope it's going well." Mary sipped her Coke and munched some more peanuts.

Jenna giggled. "You must be starving – you missed dinner."

"You have no idea – when we get to Vancouver, I'm going to eat the biggest breakfast you've ever seen!"

Jenna shook her head. "I think you eat more than Dave ever did."

"Do you miss him?" Mary asked softly, surprised that Jenna had mentioned the name of the man who had brought her into WitSec.

She shrugged. "Sure – but I see so much of him in Jacen that it's like the best part of him is still with me, you know?"

"Huh, I guess that would be an upside to having kids."

"Oh Mary!" Jenna laughed. "There are lots of upsides to having kids – especially in trying!"

"Jenna!" Mary gaped at her, before joining in her laughter. The levity felt good after the stress of the day.

Across the aisle, Sadie began to moan and move in her sleep. It wasn't loud yet but Jacen turned away from her, burying his face into the armrest and Sadie whimpered from the loss of contact.

"No," she cried out, making the people in front of her turn around in concern.

"Uh oh," Mary said softly. "Excuse me."

Jenna watched in amusement as Mary stepped across the narrow aisle and bending down, scooped the drowsy girl into her arms. Sadie instantly wrapped her own little arms around Mary's neck, snuggling in.

"Grumpy," she murmured.

"Yeah, it's me, Kiddo. Go back to sleep, you're safe."

Jenna stifled a giggle between her fingers as Mary rubbed the girl's back and reclaimed her own seat.

"What?" she asked when she felt the other woman's eyes on her.

"Nothing, it's just-" Jenna giggled. "I didn't realize you'd become a mom."

Mary snorted. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm just trying to keep her quiet so she doesn't disturb everyone on this flight."

Jenna shook her head. "If you say so."

* * *

**Reviews are LOVE!**


	20. Job Offer

Marshall had just stepped out of the shower when he heard his phone ringing in the next room. He wrapped a towel around his waist as the door opened.

"Hang on, Mary, he's right here," Stan stood in the doorway, an embarrassed look on his face. "Sorry, when I saw it was her, I thought I'd better answer it."

"Thanks, Stan." He waited until Stan shut the bathroom door before he perched on the edge of the tub and held the phone to his ear. "Hey, Mer. You both ok?"

"We're all right. We're at the alternate location we talked about before you left."

"Why? What happened?"

"Gina showed up yesterday."

Marshall ran a hand through his hair, letting the droplets fall down his neck and shoulders. "What the hell happened, Mer?" he repeated, his voice low and urgent.

Without mincing words or details, Mary told him everything from her feeling of uneasiness to Jenna's text to their night flight to Canada. When she finished, Marshall simply listened to the sound of her breathing as he tried to get his emotions under control.

"Marshall, are you there?"

"I'm here."

"What is it? I know you're probably upset with me about Jenna and Jacen but I really didn't see any-"

"That's not –" he stopped and cleared his throat. "I know there wasn't any other way, Mer. I'm glad Jenna and Jacen are with you."

"Then what is it? Marshall, you're scaring me."

"Yesterday was quite an eventful day all the way around. Tony's dead."

"What? How?"

Marshall sighed. "Carmen shot him."

This time the silence was on Mary's end before she broke it with an attempt at levity. "Please tell me this is your idea of an unfunny joke."

"No. She's being held in the hospital ward at Riker's."

Her expletive came over the phone and Marshall smiled sadly, because for once, her potty mouth fit the situation to a T. "You took the words right out of my mouth, partner."

"What happens now? What about Sadie?"

"I promised Carmen we'd keep her."

There was a slight pause before Mary said, "Do we have any legal right to do that? I mean, Carmen's lost her parental rights now and technically the Forellis are her family-"

"So is Alison."

"So that's your game plan: to get the family court to award custody to Alison – and in the meantime she remains hidden with us?"

"It's asking a lot of you, I know. It means going into the witness protection program ourselves, leaving your mom and sister behind without a word-"

"You're making it sound better all the time," she said teasingly.

"I'm serious. You'd be putting your life on hold-"

"It's worth it," she interrupted him softly.

"What?" he gasped, nearly dropping the phone at her words.

"Sadie's worth it – you're worth it."

"I can't do this without you, Mer."

"You won't have to, Lover."

* * *

"What do you mean, she's gone?"

Gina rubbed the back of her head, trying to ease the pain in her head. The fact that her brother was yelling in her ear wasn't helping any. "When I woke up-"

"You got knocked out? By whom?"

"I'm not sure – I didn't get a good look before I passed out. I assume it was the female Marshal – Jenna called her Mary."

"They probably took the first flight back to the mainland – but tracing their movements from there won't be easy."

"Stevie, I'm sorry."

"Papa Tony isn't going to be happy – he was really looking forward to seeing his granddaughter in a couple of days."

"I can still find her."

"No, it's time to come home and regroup."

"Home – to New York?"

"Yes, Papa Tony needs us now more than ever."

"The trial isn't going well?"

"The trial is over."

"What – already?"

"Gina, Tony is dead. The whore shot him."

* * *

"How's Sadie?"

"She's fine, Carmen, just fine. She's having a good time with her new friend and Mary is keeping her safe."

"Really?" Carmen's eyes searched Marshall's face to see if he was trying to shield her from the truth. "Papa Tony hasn't tried to kidnap her again?"

Marshall ignored the question, focusing instead on the nervous woman in the bed in front of him. "Carmen, the only thing you need to focus on now is getting better. You need to rest and eat some food, all right?"

"I'm not hungry."

"You need to eat – for Sadie?"

Carmen made a face but took a bite of applesauce, swallowing the food with a grimace. "Can't I have ice cream instead?"

"I think the doctors want you to have something with a little higher nutritional content."

Carmen stuck her tongue out. "Killjoys."

He bit back a laugh. "Has your lawyer been by today?"

She nodded. "He said that he's close to making a deal with the district attorney – something about miti – miti-" she stopped and frowned as she tried to remember the word.

"Mitigating circumstances?" Marshall suggested.

She swallowed another bite of applesauce and nodded. "That was it."

"Time's up," the nurse frowned at them from the doorway.

"Already?' Marshall asked in surprise. "But I've only been here for ten minutes and the doctor said-"

"She has another visitor."

"Oh, all right then," Marshall stood and gave Carmen's hand a squeeze. "See you tomorrow."

Carmen rolled her eyes. "I'll be here."

Out in the hall, Plum got to his feet as Marshall came out the door.

"You didn't need to wait, Plum. I could have caught a taxi back to the hotel."

"I couldn't let you do that, sir."

Marshall sighed and resisted the urge to tell the man to heel. As he turned to leave, he nearly bumped straight into Alison.

"Hello, Marshall."

"Ms. Pierce, I didn't expect to see you here."

"Stan called me."

"I see."

Alison's eyes darted to the open door and back again. "How is Ang- Carmen?"

"I think that's a question you should ask her."

"I don't even know what to call her."

"I'd stick with Carmen," Marshall suggested, as he walked away. "She hates the name 'Angela'."

* * *

Carmen looked up as the tall, dark haired woman walked into her room. She frowned as she tried to place her.

"You – you were there when I woke up in-" she broke off, not wanting to say where she lived now, even in here. "the hospital."

Alison smiled. "That's right. I wasn't sure you'd remember me."

"I do – but I don't understand what you're doing here."

Alison sat down in the chair Marshall had vacated and crossed her legs. "Stan called me and told me what happened."

"Oh. Wait – you're his boss. He's not in any trouble, is he? Because none of this is his fault-"

"No, Carmen, Stan's not in trouble."

"Good," Carmen relaxed against the pillow and waited.

"He told me about the custody battle you're going to be facing now with your daughter."

"I don't – Marshall and Mary are going to take care of my daughter until I'm out of prison."

"You must realize that they have no blood or legal ties to your daughter while the Forellis have both."

"Oh God – what am I going to do?"

"That's why I'm here – to help you and Sadie."

"I don't understand – how can you help?"

Alison cleared her throat. "Because I'm your mother."

* * *

_**This time I silenced the woman whose weapon took my son from me.**_

_**Next time I'll silence the Marshals who keep my granddaughter from me.**_

Marshall stared at the note for several moments in disbelief before he handed it back to Stan. "Where was it found?"

"In Sandi's hand."

He glanced over to where Sami was sobbing her heart out at the small desk in the hotel room. Plum was sitting across from her, his face a mask of stone.

"Sami found her?"

Stan nodded grimly. "The girls got a call from someone at the hotel, claiming that personal items were left in their room. Sandi was in the area and she volunteered to stop by and pick them up. When she didn't come back to the office, Sami got worried and came by. The maid was cleaning rooms on this floor and remembered her, so she let her in and the two of them found her."

Marshall turned and watched through the open connecting door as the coroner wheeled Sandi's body out of the room. Sami's wails increased and Plum wordlessly handed her a dry hanky.

"I don't like it, Stan."

"You don't like it? Hell, I hate it! My best team has just received a death threat from the mafia! I think it's time for the three of you to disappear – really disappear."

"Stan, I can't! I still need to testify in Gino and Chris' trials not to mention the fact that I'd really like to be a character witness at Carmen's sentencing. If I disappear now, these men will get off scot free and never pay for their crimes-"

"And if you don't disappear, the coroner will be taking you out in a body bag next!"

"Figgs and I won't let that happen, sir," Plum said softly from his corner.

Marshall nodded an acknowledgment before he turned back to Stan. "I'll get word to Mary to go deeper underground – we already had a plan in place, Chief. After I testify and I'm sure that I've shaken them off my tail, I'll join them."

Stan grunted. "I still don't like it – but I know there's no point in arguing with you once your mind is made up."

Marshall grinned. "It's something I learned from my partner."

"I knew she'd be a bad influence on you."

* * *

**2 WEEKS LATER (Washington, D.C.)**

"Stephanie, have you seen my file on the Braxton case?"

A minute later, Stephanie appeared in her employer's doorway and smiled at the sight that greeted her eyes. Her calm, cool, and collected boss was on her hands and knees so far under her desk that only her pretty pair of ankle boots was showing.

"Boss, what on earth are you doing? You have a meeting with Mr. Priss in half an hour!"

Eleanor Prince poked her head out from underneath her desk to glare up at her assistant. "I know that, Stephanie. Did you think I was under here looking for the potato chip I dropped last week?" She huffed as she disappeared again. "And don't call Miles Standish 'Mr. Priss' – one day you're going to slip up and call him that to his face and be in a world of trouble."

Stephanie sighed and set the fresh cup of coffee down on the corner of Eleanor's immaculate desk. "I know- but that's what he is! So prissy and fussy about every little thing – even more than a woman; if I didn't know better I'd think he was one!"

Eleanor shuffled backwards, rose to her knees, and propped her elbows on her desk as her eyebrows flew upwards. "And just how do you know better?"

Stephanie flushed to the roots of her hair. "Well, I- you know-"

Eleanor bit her lip. "Yes, I think I do know," she quipped back as she stood and brushed the lint from her pants.

"I'll just go and look for that Braxton file on my desk," Stephanie began backing towards the door. "Oh and boss? There's a woman here to see you – says it's very important."

Eleanor glanced at her computer, where her daily calendar was open. "I don't have any appointments this morning."

"I know – but she said you'd see her."

Eleanor's mouth hardened slightly at the woman's audacity. DC was full of pushy people and she knew just how to deal with them. "Did she now?"

"Yep – said to tell you her name was Mary Shephard."

The starch went out of Eleanor's spine as she groped for her desk chair and collapsed into it. What on God's green earth would possess Mary Shannon of all people to come to her? By the time she'd left the Albuquerque WitSec office, the two women had formed a temporary truce for the sake of the office environment – but they were never, ever friends.

_Oh God, has something happened to Stan? Is he hurt – is he dead? Is it Marshall? Or is she simply here because she has no one else to turn to? She's done something absolutely unspeakably and is running from the Feds and-_

"Boss?" Stephanie's voice broke through her frantic train of thoughts. "You ok? Look, I can tell this broad to take a hike-"

"Send her in, Stephanie."

"You sure?"

"Yes, and hold my calls please."

* * *

Mary tapped her toes on the plush carpet in the outer office, waiting for the chit of an office girl to come back and tell her whether or not Eleanor would see her. Mary rolled her eyes. _I know she's in there – good grief, don't they realize that if I poke my head around this corner I can wave at them? Damn it, Marshall! You should be here with me. Sending me off to see Eleanor Prince without you! I'm still not convinced she isn't some plant or-_

"Miss Prince will see you now."

Mary's head whipped up to see that the girl had returned on silent feet while she had been lost in her thoughts. She grabbed her oversized handbag and hurried after her, locking eyes with Eleanor as soon as she rounded the corner.

"Hello, Eleanor."

"Mary," Eleanor nodded before flicking her eyes to Stephanie. "That will be all for now. Unless – do you want something to drink? Coffee, perhaps?" Her lips twisted to keep from smirking.

Mary's stomach flipped over. For some reason the smell of her favorite beverage made her queasy lately and the idea of drinking anything right now made her want to vomit. "No, thanks."

Eleanor nodded and with a slight frown the girl left, closing the door.

Mary sat down, her eyes never leaving Eleanor's. "Nice girl – bit clingy."

Eleanor's smile widened. "She's protective of me – loyal. I find that very attractive in an employee."

Mary shrugged. "I suppose." She let her eyes roam the office, taking in the feminine elements with surprise.

"Is Stan all right?"

Mary's eyes darted back to the other woman's in surprise. "Yes, he's fine. Why?"

Eleanor hid her relief with a slight shrug. "I couldn't come up with any other reason for your sudden appearance in my office. Why are you here, Mary?"

Mary fidgeted in her chair and silently cursed Marshall again for sending her here – alone. But she knew that there was no other way. They couldn't very well go to Faber – the man couldn't be trusted to keep his mouth shut. And even though Marshall didn't want to involve Eleanor in this, he knew she would help them, or rather help him. But the words still stuck in her throat – to ask Eleanor Prince for help? God, those were bitter words to say.

"Come on, Mary – you can say it. I already know you wouldn't be here if you hadn't exhausted all your other options. You need my help." Eleanor was smirking at her now.

Mary's eyes narrowed to slits. "Not just me – Marshall," she ground out. "Marshall and I need your help. And a little girl named Sadie."

The smirk slipped from Eleanor's face. She picked up a pen, twirling it in her fingers. "Go on, I'm listening."

* * *

"That's quite a story." Eleanor said when Mary finished.

Mary shot up from her chair, the anger rolling off her. "It's not a 'story' – it's the hell that Marshall, Sadie, Carmen, and I have been living in for the past three weeks!" She began to pace Eleanor's office. "And now, thanks to me, I've dragged Jenna and Jacen into it! They can't go back to Hawaii because the Forellis know about them now too. So there's two more lives that I've ruined-"

"Mary."

The sound of her name and the fact that Eleanor now stood in front of her stopped her in her tracks. "What?"

"Sit down."

For a moment Mary glared at her in defiance before she flopped back into the chair. Eleanor took a deep breath before she continued speaking. "Everyone makes their own choices in life, Mary. Jenna decided to help you and Marshall because you once helped her-" she held up her hand when Mary opened her mouth to interrupt. "She's a survivor. She started over once before and she can do it again."

"But she shouldn't have to, Eleanor. It's not-" Mary broke off.

"Fair? Were you going to say fair, Mary? Since when have you ever believed life was fair? I thought you were much too cynical for that!" Eleanor laughed.

Mary gave a small smile in response. "I've always wanted to give my witnesses the opportunity to have a fair second chance at life – as far as that's possible."

Eleanor sat back in her chair. "Well, if I wasn't sitting down, I'd have fallen over by now. Is that a trace of optimism I hear?"

"It's all Marshall's influence," Mary muttered.

"Bully for him."

The women shared a smile.

"So," Mary continued after a small pause. "Will you?"

The smirk was back on Eleanor's face. "Will I what?"

Mary resisted the urge to reach across the desk and smack the smirk off her face. "Help us," she ground out.

Eleanor's smirk bloomed into a smile. "Of course."

Relief coursed through Mary. "Thanks, Eleanor, I-"

"But only if you help me with a small problem of my own."

_I knew it. There's always strings attached._

"Oh Mary, don't look at me like that! I'm not going to require your soul." Eleanor laughed.

"What are you going to require?" Mary grunted.

"Well, it's just that I was thinking. You need to disappear – preferably from the US, correct?"

Mary nodded.

"And you'll need to support yourself somehow, correct?"

"I suppose so."

"Then I have the perfect solution for both of us."

Before Mary could answer the office door flew open and a very nervous young man stormed into the office. "Ms. Prince, I'm sorry to burst in while you are in conference, but you are five minutes late-"

Stephanie was dogging his heels. "Miles! I'm so sorry, boss, but I couldn't stop him! He-"

Miles continued to address Eleanor. "You know this meeting is extremely important, Ms. Prince. We simply must find someone to work with Scotland Yard-"

"Mr. Standish!' Stephanie planted herself in front of him. "You can't just burst in here when Ms. Prince-"

Eleanor bit the inside of her cheek to control her laughter even as she noticed Mary inching towards the office door. "Everyone, please!" she shouted, stilling the voices of Miles and Stephanie. "It's fine. Mary, sit back down. I want you present for this meeting."

Mary shot her a look of alarm mingled with dread. "Really, Eleanor, I don't see how this concerns me."

"It's perfect for your situation."

Mary's stomach flipped over again as she sank back into the chair.

"Stephanie, please bring us all some coffee."

Miles looked in confusion between the two women. "I must agree with Miss – I'm sorry, I don't think we've been introduced."

Eleanor waved Miles' comment away. "Her name isn't important. What is important is that Mary is going to help us with Scotland Yard."

Surprise lit Miles' face. "You mean she's-"

"Eleanor, what-"

"Here's your coffee," Stephanie announced and then left, shutting the door behind them.

"Now, as they say in England, I'll be mother and pour out," Eleanor said, taking command of the coffee pot and the meeting.

"Ms. Prince, I think you need to explain," Miles said as he sank into the other chair.

"That's an understatement," Mary snorted.

"It's simple," Eleanor smiled as she handed Mary her coffee. "We're offering you a job. Mary, have you ever thought of moving to London?"

* * *

**Ah, Eleanor! This fic just wouldn't be complete without her! Reviews are LOVE.**


	21. Paper Star, Paper Heart

**A/N: Only 1 chapter to go - can you believe it? Enjoy ;D**

* * *

"I still can't believe all this is happening."

Eleanor looked at Mary and smiled. "Which part? That you're moving to London or that I'm your boss?"

Mary scanned the passengers disembarking Flight 228 from Charlotte and tried not to wince visibly. "Don't remind me – that part still chafes."

Eleanor laughs. "You'll get over it."

"GRUMPY!" Sadie's voice came above the murmur of the crowd at Dulles International and Eleanor watched in amazement as Mary scooped a dark haired little girl up into her arms, giving her butterfly kisses.

"Missed you," Sadie murmured, cuddling close.

Knowing that she would now have years with her, Mary had given up trying to hide her emotions from Sadie. "I missed you too, Kiddo. Were you a good girl for Jenna?"

"She was, Mary. Don't worry so much," Jenna laughed as she appeared at her elbow with Jacen by her side.

Mary waited until the kids had run a little ways ahead before she asked about how Sadie had really been during her two day absence.

Jenna sighed. "She hardly slept and when she did, she had nightmares and wet the bed. But she ate and played with Jacen and listened to me, so-"

"We'll take what we can get." Mary finished with a nod as Eleanor approached. "Jenna, this is Eleanor, the woman I told you about. She's helping us get relocated."

Jenna smiled and shook Eleanor's hand. "I can't thank you enough. Relocating the first time when I was seven months pregnant was tough enough, but doing it now with two active little kids?" She broke off and shook her head.

Eleanor joined in her laughter. "You are both to be commended. Those are lucky kids – they both have great mothers."

Mary opened her mouth to object when Jenna put an arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. "Don't they?"

"But I'm not-"

"Grumpy!"

Mary turned to see Sadie running towards her waving a coloring book in one hand, Jacen in hot pursuit.

"Look, Grumpy! Sadie want!" She shoved the book into Mary's hands.

Mary squatted beside the excited girl and looked at the cover. It was a Care Bears coloring book and pictured on the front was Wish Bear, the one that had a giant Star on his tummy. She smiled as she realized the attraction the book held for Sadie.

"Please?" Sadie pleaded.

"Aunt Mary, she didn't pay for it and the man back there is mad!" Jacen put in.

Mary looked over their shoulders to see the shop owner looking at them, hands on his hips. She shook her head as she reached for her purse and pulled out a bill. "Ok, kiddo. You can have the book but bring me back the change from this, ok?"

Sadie nodded as she took the money, giving Mary a quick kiss on the cheek before running back to the store with Jacen on her heels. Mary remained frozen in place, a hand cupping her cheek where Sadie's lips had been a moment before. She slowly rose to her feet as Jenna's laughter filled voice broke through:

"What were you trying to say a few minutes ago about not being a mom?"

* * *

"You have my letter for my mom and Brandi?"

Eleanor nodded. "I'll drop it in the mail as soon as you're safe in London, don't worry, Mary."

"I'd be worrying more if Mom wasn't on the wagon and Brandi wasn't with Peter. I know he'll look after them now that I can't." Mary swallowed the lump in her throat.

Eleanor searched for something to say, something encouraging. "You know, this won't last forever. Even if you do end up keeping Sadie until she's an adult, once she's grown, maybe then-"

Mary's icy look stopped the words. "Don't, all right? I know what you're trying to do and part of me appreciates it but we both know I can't ever go back. Marshall and I will forever be on the Forellis hit list because of Sadie and I won't put my family in jeopardy." Mary sighed. "I just never thought this little four year old girl would be our last case."

Eleanor tipped her head to the side in thought. "You love them – Marshall and Sadie."

Mary nodded tightly, barely keeping hold of her emotions. "Of course I do – I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, at this time, I'd like to announce that we are beginning our pre-boarding for Flight 658 to London. If you are traveling with small children or need assistance, we invite you to board at this time."

"Grumpy!"

"Mary!"

Mary sighed. "I guess that's my cue. Don't forget to mail my letter."

"Do you have a message for Marshall when he comes to the office?"

"Star?" Sadie asked as she wrapped her arms around Mary's leg, her eyes hopeful. "Star here?"

"Sorry, kiddo. We were just talking about him. Eleanor was asking if we wanted to leave a message for him."

Sadie nodded eagerly and picked up Mr. Bear, unzipping the back. She pulled out her paper shapes, shoving a heart in Mary's hand and keeping a star in hers.

"Pen!" Sadie said.

Eleanor smiled. "I have one." She handed it to Mary, who had knelt beside the girl.

Sadie shoved the star into Mary's hand.

"What do you want me to say, Kiddo?"

"Sadie love Star."

Mary smiled as she wrote the words and handed the star to Eleanor. She looked at the heart in her hand. "What should I write on this one?"

"Grumpy love Star."

Eleanor smothered a laugh as the pen fell from Mary's fingers. "Sadie-"

"Write!"

Mary ran a hand through her hair. How did she explain to a four year old that she hadn't even said the words to him in person yet – and now Sadie expected her to write them on a paper heart? It was like a scene in one of those romantic comedies Marshall liked to torture her with so much. _She was leaving on a jet plane for London and writing him a love note that he would find weeks later. They would meet on a street in foggy London and he would take her in his arms and-_

"Grumpy?"

Sadie calling her name brought her out of her daydream. _What the hell is wrong with me? I'm not some love sick, sappy heroine in a chick flick! This is real life – and we're fleeing for our lives here. I don't have time for this nonsense._

"Sadie-"

She frowned at Mary. "You no love Star."

The words pierced her heart and the denial was past her lips before she could stop it. "That's not true."

Sadie grinned. "Write!"

Mary sighed as Eleanor giggled again. "Kiddo-"

"Write!"

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to announce that we are now beginning our general boarding for Flight-"

"Mary!" Jenna called, more urgent this time.

_What the hell. If something happens to either of us and I never get the chance to tell him, I'll regret it for the rest of my life._

Mary scrawled the words across the heart and handed both the pen and paper object to a grinning Eleanor. She held out a finger in warning as she scooped Sadie into her arms.

"Don't."

Eleanor held up her hands in surrender. "I didn't say a word."

Mary grunted. "You didn't have to." She moved towards the gate.

"Call when you get there!" Eleanor shouted.

Mary didn't acknowledge the words but Sadie grinned and waved good-bye.

* * *

Brandi was humming to herself when she and Peter got home from work and went outside to collect the mail. It had been another fabulous day for sales – who knew that she, Brandi Shannon, would have a knack for selling cars? She grinned and continued to hum as she flipped through the mail. Bill – bill – advertisement – bill – junk – junk – federal government?

She frowned slightly, the hum dying on her lips as she set the rest of the mail on the dining room table and slit the side of the manila mailer that bore the seal of the US government. She was used to seeing things like this when she had lived with Mary – but they were always addressed to Mary, not her. She hadn't realized she had begun to shake until a long business envelope fell out and landed on the table. With trembling fingers, she picked it up and stared at her sister's writing on the front.

"Peter! PETER!" she screamed.

Her boyfriend came running from the bedroom where he had been changing out of his suit. The sound of his girlfriend's screams had caused his blood pressure to go up several points but the sight of her alive and unharmed in their kitchen calmed him somewhat.

"Brandi, what is it?"

"Look at this-" she held out the envelope to him as if it was a snake. "I thought she was on vacation. But Mary doesn't do vacations – oh God, Peter, what if something's happened? What if she's-"

Peter moved swiftly to her side, catching her as her knees buckled so she didn't hit the floor. He looked at the envelope still clutched in her fingers and bearing the ominous words: _**To Mom and Squish – Please open and read together. **_He frowned. It certainly sounded serious but he hoped to God it didn't mean Mary was dead.

"Brandi, Brandi!" he gave her a little shake as she came around with a moan. "I'm going to help you to our room to lie down and then I'm going to call Jinx, all right?"

"Oh Peter, what if-"

"Shush, my love, we don't know anything yet, all right?" he soothed as he led her down the darkened hallway.

"Where is she?" Jinx demanded as he opened the door.

"Who?"

"Brandi, of course."

Peter sighed. _I call and tell her a mysterious letter has arrived from Mary with instructions not to be opened and her first concern is- _he shook his head. "I thought you meant Mary."

Jinx blinked in surprise. "But I know where Mary is – she's on vacation in Mexico. I told you and Brandi how I went over there with my vacation box and talked to Mary about missed opportunities and the next thing I knew she had her ticket." Jinx waved her hand. "Mary's fine – Mary's always fine. I've never had to worry about her. Now, where's my baby?"

Peter jerked his head towards the hallway. "Bedroom."

Jinx rushed down the hall and he followed at a slower pace, letting the cooing of Jinx and the sobbing of Brandi subside a bit before he pushed open the door and leaned against the doorframe.

Brandi looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. "Can you go get the letter?"

"No need." Peter pulled it from his back pocket and she snatched it from his hand.

"See, mom, look! It's Mary's handwriting and it came in a US government envelope and everything. Why would it come like that if she- if she-" Brandi broke down again.

Peter moved to sit beside her on the bed and she snuggled into him, burying her face in his collar bone.

"Well, we'll never know what it says until we open it," Jinx said as with one long fingernail she slit the envelope.

Peter glanced down at Brandi. "Maybe we should wait a few more-"

Jinx waved away his concern as she scanned the first few lines, before she smiled in triumph. "She's not dead."

Brandi sat up so swiftly she nearly bounced Peter off the bed. "Wait – are you sure?"

"Of course, baby. She says so right here."

"Let me see!" Brandi eagerly reached for the pages.

"Careful, you'll rip it," Jinx said as she pulled away.

"Ladies, maybe one of you should read it aloud," Peter suggested, trying to keep the exasperation from his voice.

"That's a good idea. Here Peter," Brandi plucked the pages from her mother's hand. "You read it to us."

Peter stared at the pages, and then looked between the two women. "Are you sure – this is private and I don't want to intrude."

Jinx smiled and patted his knee. "Peter, you're family now. Besides, Brandi would tell you everything later anyway and this saves her the telling – so go on."

Peter took the pages from his girlfriend's fingers and waited as she settled her head in Jinx's lap. He cleared his throat and began to read.

"'Dear Mom and Squish: I know the minute you get this letter Squish will be thinking the worst and I want to put both of your minds at ease: I am not dead. Though I have never discussed the exact nature of my job with either of you, I think you both know that I don't sit at the courthouse all day, drinking coffee and eating donuts. You must have had many questions over the years, especially after my shooting last year, and this letter will only raise more. I thank you both for your restraint in not asking them then because I couldn't have answered you – just like I can't answer your questions now.

'I never went on my vacation. This will come as no surprise to Squish, who knows me for the workaholic that I am. Though I can't answer many of your questions, I can tell you that Marshall needed me. It's as simple and complex as that. He's been my partner for seven years and when he needs me – well, there's not much I won't do for him. And that's why I'm afraid this letter is the last you'll be hearing from me.'"

"What?" Brandi sat up straight, the tears began to gather in her eyes again. "Ever? Is she saying good-bye forever?"

"No, no, no," Jinx soothed. "I'm sure something's happened at work and she just has to go on an extended trip, right, Peter?"

He frowned. That's not what it sounded like to him. Granted he hadn't finished the letter yet, but it certainly sounded like Mary was severing ties with her family for their protection. He had suspected for awhile that his girlfriend's sister wasn't just a regular US Marshal – he didn't know exactly what branch of the service she was in, but he knew it was dangerous.

"Shall I continue?"

Both women nodded.

"'I know that was abrupt, but I'm not one to mince words, you know that. Please don't blame Marshall for my sudden disappearance. This was my choice, my decision, and something that I need to do in order to keep you all safe. There are now some very dangerous people after me and I would never forgive myself if they came after the two of you to get to me. Leaving you is harder than I thought it would be but I leave knowing that you're both in really good places in your lives. Squish, let Peter in. Let him see all the good that is in you and show him your broken pieces – he can heal them. The two of you can have a good life together'," Peter stopped and gruffly cleared his throat. Brandi slipped her hand into his, squeezing it tight.

"'Mom, I'm so proud of you for staying on the wagon. You've followed your dream of teaching ballet and I hope one day you have the money to open your own school. Be happy, mom. And if dad ever shows back up in town, I hope you both give him quick kicks in the ass and haul him off to the Feds. Squish, I know you went looking for our brother because you want family. Don't confuse Dad with family if he shows up, ok? Peter and mom are your family. And don't cry for me, wondering if I'll ever see what's right in front of my face. Squish, I know you've known for years that Marshall's been in love with me. Well, he finally told me and funny thing is, I love him too.' " Peter grinned at the gasps and squeals that came simultaneously from both women. "I'll be okay, especially if I know that you're both okay. I love you both, Mary Shannon."

* * *

**FOUR MONTHS LATER (Austin, Texas)**

"I just can't believe he's gone, Sir."

Stan clamped a hand on Charlie's shoulder, the young inspector's posture bent with grief. "I know, son. Me either." He glanced around at the large group of mourners, easily picking out the family. _God, I need to go over there, pay my respects, tell them how sorry I am, let them know it was my fault, that Marshall died on my watch._

"Have you been able to get in touch with Mary?"

"I haven't any idea where she is."

"You don't?" Charlie's eyes widened in surprise. "I thought that she would have stayed in touch with you, Sir."

Stan shook his head. "She's gone deep underground, just like Marshall wanted." A lump rose in his throat just saying his agent's name out loud. "And what have I told you about calling me sir?"

"I can't call you by your first name – that wouldn't be respectful," Charlie stammered.

"Try 'chief' then."

"Ok, chief."

Stan smiled tightly as the word brought to mind images of Mary and Marshall, his best team. One gone somewhere out there and the other one buried in the ground beneath his feet. He looked up to see Seth Mann approaching him.

"I'm glad to see you could make it."

Stan stuck out his hand and the men shook. "Sir, I am so very sorry for your loss. Marshall always spoke highly of you."

Seth waved the comment away. "Call me Seth. A father is not meant to outlive his children, McQueen."

"Stan."

Seth nodded. "We're having a small reception back at the house, family only, but we'd be honored if you joined us. I don't see Marshall's pretty partner here today."

Stan cleared his throat. "I'm afraid she couldn't make it."

"Oh?" Seth stared at Stan for several heartbeats. "That's the way of things then, is it? Figured there had to be something fishy about my son's death. What the hell is going on, Stan?"

Stan was spared coming up with a reply as Charlie jabbed him the ribs. He turned to his junior inspector in annoyance. "What is it, Charlie?"

"Sorry, chief, but what are they doing here?" He pointed to a couple slowly making their way through the mourners.

Stan's gaze froze on the pair in disbelief. _Gina and Stefano – here. Why?_

"Excuse me, please," he said to Seth as he made a beeline straight for the couple.

"Hello Chief Inspector," Stefano said with a grin.

"I'm afraid this is a private ceremony for family and friends only – and you're neither, Forelli," Stan growled.

Stefano blinked in surprise and looked at Gina. "I think he has us confused with someone else, little sister. My last name is Nichols."

"May I help you?" Seth asked.

"We just came to express our deepest condolences," Gina purred.

"Thank you. How did you know my son?"

Stan's jaw locked as he waited to see how they would answer that question.

"Oh, we were intimately acquainted with the late great Marshall Mann," Stefano smiled. "We just had to come and be sure the rumors of his death weren't greatly exaggerated."

Marshall hadn't been kidding when he said his pa could draw faster than a rattlesnake could strike. No one had known that Seth had been carrying – except for his family who could have told anyone who asked that Seth Mann didn't go anywhere without his gun.

"You will turn right around and crawl back under whatever rock you crawled out from before I blow your brains out all over my son's freshly dug grave."

Stefano continued to smirk from the other end of Seth's gun. "You Manns don't have the guts to do anything other than blow hot air."

Seth cocked the hammer. "I buried my eldest son today – I'm an old man with nothing to lose. So come on, you little mother fucker, make my day."

"Seth, stop!" Constance Mann, Marshall's mother, cried a good distance away, as she was being held back by several family members.

Gina touched her brother's arm. "Let's go, Stefano. We paid our respects."

Stefano tipped his hat. "Indeed we did." His gaze swung to Stan. "Just because Marshall Mann is dead, don't you go thinkin' our business is concluded. We want Sadie."

* * *

Seth didn't lower his gun until the pair had climbed into their Ferrari and driven away. Only then did he engage the safety and swing his gaze back to Stan.

"He's the one that killed my boy?"

"He didn't fire the gun, but he hired the man that did."

"And Mary is still in danger – as well as this Sadie?"

Stan nodded slowly. "They're in hiding."

Seth nodded back. "You need any help at all, you know where to find me." He reached out his hand and Stan shook it. "Better go see to Connie – she's probably a mess about now," he rolled his eyes and stalked off.

Stan turned to see Charlie wiping his face with a handkerchief. He swallowed a grin. "You ok, kid?"

Charlie nodded. "I just didn't think they'd be a gunfight at Mr. Mann's funeral."

A voice spoke from behind Stan. "I had no idea Seth Mann was such a maverick."

Stan whirled to see Eleanor, dressed in a black pants suit, her eyes red rimmed. "You came," he whispered.

Her delicate perfume surrounded him as she held him close for a moment. "Of course I came. Did you really think I wouldn't?"

When she pulled back, the youth that had been by his side was gone and she took the opportunity to move closer to him. "How are you?"

His shoulders slumped. "Terrible. How's Mary?"

One perfectly shaped eyebrow rose. "How do you think?"

"But they're safe?" he waited for her answer with baited breath, knowing their safety had been on Marshall's mind as he was dying.

"Yes, Stan, they're safe."

Unable to resist her any longer, he pulled her close and kissed her. It was only when he heard her squeak of surprise that he pulled back, flushing. "I'm sorry, Ellie. I forgot myself."

She cupped the sides of his face, forcing him to look her in the eye. "No, it's fine. I just didn't expect it after all this time. I didn't think you still felt this way."

He lifted a hand and caressed her cheek. "I never stopped."

The sound of a throat clearing made them jump apart.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Alison murmured, looking anything but apologetic. "But I'm assuming this is Eleanor Prince?"

Eleanor nodded, looking at the thin, hawk faced woman in front of her. _So this is Alison Pierce – Carmen's mother and Sadie's grandmother. _"Yes, I'm Eleanor."

"I'm Alison-"

"I know who you are, Ms. Pierce."

Alison stiffened in surprise at Eleanor's frosty tone but continued. "I was hoping to have a private word with you – about our mutual friends?"

Eleanor tried not to laugh at the euphemism. "All right." She took a step forward only to realize that Stan was holding tightly to one of her hands. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Promise?"

She leaned in and dropped a kiss on his lips. "I promise."

"I had no idea you and Chief McQueen were so close."

"What exactly would you like to discuss?" _I have no intention of discussing my past or present relationship with Stan with you. _Eleanor sat down on the ornate bench and motioned for Alison to join her.

"I understand that you know where Mary and my granddaughter are."

Eleanor stiffened. "What makes you say that?"

"Because I know that Marshall sent Mary to you four months ago."

"That doesn't mean I know where they are now."

Alison sighed as she sat down on the bench. "No, it doesn't. But I'm hoping it means you can get a message to her for me."

"What kind of message?"

Alison shook her head. "I'll not confide in you until you give me your word you can reach her."

Eleanor sighed. "What's the message?"

"Let her know that Marshall's death changes nothing in regards to Sadie's care. I want her to stay hidden with Mary."

"Why?"

Alison sighed. "Things have grown difficult on this end. The family court is dragging its feet about reinstating my parental rights because I abandoned Carmen as a baby. And now-" she paused, swallowing hard. "My daughter is not a well woman, Ms. Prince. Did you know that her husband raped her?"

Eleanor nodded. "Mary told me."

"She is pregnant as a result of that rape – and most days she thinks the baby growing inside of her is Sadie."

"Dear God," Eleanor breathed softly.

Alison nodded. "They've put her in the mental ward at Riker's and as soon as the baby is born, I am hoping that I will be able to care for it. So you see, I have my hands full. If Mary can continue to care for Sadie until Carmen is out of prison, then we could come join her."

Eleanor's eyes fluttered shut. _It's too much. Mary's being asked to deal with too much – she's still reeling from losing Marshall and now to ask her to keep caring for Sadie indefinitely on her own when she's got her own-_

"Ms. Prince? Will you tell her – ask her? Please?"

Eleanor nodded. "I'll deliver the message – but I can't promise how Mary will respond."

* * *

**Lower those shotguns, my dear readers, and leave me a review!**


	22. Worth It

**A/N: Come on, guys! If I couldn't kill off Charlie way back in the beginning of this fic - did you really think I could kill off MARSHALL? :D And yes, I did tell a little white lie - there's an epilogue so technically this isn't the last chapter . . . Enjoy!**

* * *

Eleanor buried herself in work. It was similar to the period of time after her husband's funeral except the pain wasn't the same: it wasn't the all-encompassing, take your breath away, sneaks up on you when you least expect it kind that knocked you senseless. This was a dull, persistent ache that refused to go away. It was kind of like heartburn – except she couldn't just take a handful of antacids or chug some Maalox to make to go away. Marshall had been a dear friend – someone who had made her laugh at a point in her life when she didn't think she'd ever laugh again.

She had sent an encrypted email to Mary in London the day after she returned from the funeral, telling her about the service, who was there, and she was sure to include the showdown between Seth and Stefano. She knew Mary would get a kick out of it. If Mary had been there, Eleanor knew Stefano wouldn't have left in his Ferrari – he would have left in a body bag. She also told her of Alison's request that she keep Sadie with her in hiding for the remainder of Carmen's imprisonment and the reasons behind it.

A week later, Mary sent back a one word reply: _**OK**_

Eleanor's heart broke for her. She knew that Mary was grieving and was also throwing herself into her work. She received no less than ten emails from her a day, updating Eleanor on the status of fugitives who had fled the States hoping to continue their life of crime in the UK. Though Mary still refused to address Eleanor as 'boss', her emails had a professional tone, even respectful, for Mary, and that was really all she could ask for.

Two weeks after the funeral, Eleanor was reading through her emails when Stephanie buzzed her office.

Eleanor pushed the intercom button. "Yes, Stephanie, what is it?"

"There's a gentleman here to see you but he doesn't have an appointment."

Eleanor rolled her eyes. "Did he give his name?"

"Mr. Miller."

Eleanor got to her feet in a daze. "Marshall Miller?"

"I think so."

But Eleanor was already running for her office door. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Stephanie get to her feet at her desk as she rounded the corner to reception and came to a halt. A blond-haired gentleman with brown eyes got to his feet. For a moment, she tasted bitter disappointment.

And then the man smiled.

"Hello, Eleanor."

She engulfed him in a hug that nearly knocked him backwards.

* * *

"Whose body is in your grave?" Eleanor demanded as soon as they were alone. She had told Stephanie to hold all her calls and had taken the extra precaution of locking her office door this time. She didn't care if people thought she was having a nooner in here – as long as she got details out of Marshall.

He nervously ran a hand through his now blond locks. "I'm not sure. All I remember is the pain of getting shot and the fake blood packets bursting open and being whisked off in an ambulance. The next thing I knew was waking up in a safe house with Plum and Figgs."

"Plum and Figgs?"

He grinned and took a sip of coffee. "My bodyguards – the agents assigned to protect me during Tony's trial."

"You mean they stayed on the job?"

He nodded. "They're short on personality but long on loyalty and endurance – kind of like bull terriers."

"Oh Marshall!" Eleanor got up and hugged him. "There's that wit I never thought I'd hear again!" She sobered as she reclaimed her seat. "Everyone thinks you're dead: your family, Stan, Mary."

His eyes dropped to the rim of his cup. "I know. That's why I'm here, Eleanor. I need your advice."

"Anything."

"Do I stay dead? I mean my plan was always to join Mary and Sadie but they think I'm dead and perhaps it would be best for everyone if I-"

He recoiled as she hit him with a rolled up magazine. "Are you out of your mind? Mary gave up her family, her life – everything for you, Marshall Mann, and you're sitting there asking me if you should stay dead?"

"I'm thinking it might be best-"

Eleanor huffed. "Wait a minute." She got up and went to her desk, pulled open the bottom drawer, and dug around until she found what she was looking for. "I'm so glad I didn't throw these away yet," she muttered. "Here, stupid man, I can't think of anything to say that will convince you more than these." She held out the scrapes of paper to him.

"My origami?"

"Mary and Sadie left messages on them for you."

He smiled as he took the shapes. "They did?" he whispered, as he looked first at the star shape. Mary's handwriting boldly stated: _**Sadie love Star. **_He sighed. "I love Sadie like a daughter. I know I shouldn't as her Inspector-"

Eleanor snorted. "You're not her Inspector anymore, Marshall, and you're a much better father than her blood one has ever been. That girl needs you. Read the other one."

Marshall turned the paper heart over and stared in disbelief at Mary's scrawl: _**I love you too.**_

When he hadn't said anything after five minutes, Eleanor began to get worried. "Marshall?" she said softly, not wanting to disturb his thoughts but at the same time she was dying to know what he was thinking.

He raised his head to look at her, his eyes shining with emotion as he asked what should have been his first question when he walked in her office door. "Where are my girls?"

* * *

**London, UK**

"Hey, isn't it time for you to be heading out if you want to pick up Sadie on time from her session with Dr. Solomon?"

Mary glanced up from her computer screen as Daphne poked her head into her small workspace. She glanced at the time in the corner of her lap top and frowned. _When did it so late? I'm going to have to hurry._

"Thanks, Daphne. I hadn't realized the time."

"No problem. I got a hot date I need to get ready for and I can't leave until you do."

Mary looked at her in surprise as she put on her jacket. "What are you talking about? You've got a student visa – you work way less hours than I do, missy."

"Yeah, well, I just want to be sure you're taking care of yourself these days," Daphne shrugged.

"Oh God," Mary moaned. "I knew I shouldn't have told you."

"You didn't – I guessed. And it was kind of hard not to when I walked in here to see you hurling your biscuits into the rubbish bin."

"'Hurling my biscuits?'" Mary repeated as she walked towards the exit. "Is that English for 'tossing your cookies'?"

Daphne shrugged. "I don't know – just thought it sounded good."

Mary laughed.

"It's good to hear you laugh, Mary. It's been awhile. I know you're sad about losing your man."

The pain cut her to the quick even though Daphne didn't refer to Marshall by name. She hadn't seen him in five months but she had had the hope of seeing him, being with him, loving him, telling him-

"Yeah, thanks. See you tomorrow, Daphne, and take care tonight, all right? There are lots of perverts out there."

"Don't worry, Mary. I got protection." Daphne patted her purse where her mace lay.

It was just a short ten minute walk to Dr. Solomon's office, for which Mary was grateful this afternoon since she was running late and it was starting to drizzle. The therapist had worked wonders the past few months with Sadie. Eleanor had recommended the man, not only citing him as one of the best child psychologists in London, but he had also worked with families in their line of work. Sadie had blossomed under his care. Not only had her symptoms of PTSD lessened, her speech was gaining ground, though she still stubbornly clung to calling Mary 'Grumpy'.

The bell above the door announced her arrival but Mary still called out as she entered:

"Hello? Dr. Solomon- Sadie? It's Mary!"

The inner office door flew open and Sadie ran into her arms. "Hi, Grumpy!"

"Hi, Kiddo. How was your session today?"

"Good. Dr. S and I talked about Star."

Mary saw the sadness in her eyes and wished she could take it away – but then, she wished she could take all of Sadie's pain away. She straightened up to see Dr. Solomon watching them from the doorway. "Hello, Dr. Solomon."

"Hello, Mary. How are you?"

The man was a psychologist through and through; Mary felt all the probing behind the question. "As well as can be expected, I guess," she shrugged, answering honestly.

"She misses Star," Sadie said.

Dr. Solomon smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Of course she does."

"So," Mary cleared her throat. "Same time, next week?"

"Actually, Sadie would like you to come with her next time if that's all right."

"I'm not – work, you see-"

"We can work it around your schedule."

Mary swallowed heavily. "I don't know-"

"Please, Grumpy. I want to talk about the bad people. I need you."

Her heart melted as she leaned down. "Will you work on calling me Mary?"

Sadie giggled. "I will try."

Mary nodded, pulling on one of her pigtails. "Then I'll come."

* * *

"Thank you, Gr- Mary," Sadie whispered sleepily, her eyes drowsy with sleep, her head bouncing against Mary's shoulder as Mary walked towards Liverpool Street Station.

"You're welcome, Kiddo."

The session with Dr. Solomon had been emotionally draining for everyone involved but Sadie had talked in more detail than she ever had before about what happened the day she and Marshall were kidnapped. By the end of the hour Sadie and Mary were both crying and Dr. Solomon was handing out tissues.

"Sadie love Grumpy," the girl murmured sleepily into Mary's neck, making her smile.

Mary smiled. _Old habits are hard to break. _"Grumpy love Sadie."

As she boarded the train for Chelmsford, cradling the now sleeping child in her arms, Mary didn't notice the tall blond man who boarded just before the doors slid shut.

* * *

The steady motion of the train kept Sadie asleep until they reached Chelmsford. But once the cool evening air hit her face, the girl stirred and Mary put her down, letting her skip ahead down the road to the youth hostel Jenna ran and was also currently their home. Mary had intended to move once Marshall arrived and they could get their own flat nearby, so she could still help Jenna on the weekends and Sadie would be close to Jacen. Now that Marshall was gone, there was no need to move – though in a few months, it would definitely be more crowded.

She heard footsteps quickly approaching from behind and Mary's danger sense went into full alert. She walked a little faster to close the gap between her and Sadie only to stop in her tracks by a voice from the grave.

"Don't go, Mer. It's me."

She grabbed at a nearby half wall to steady herself. _Don't turn around. Don't turn around. He won't be there. You've lost it. You've finally lost it._

"It's okay – turn around. I'm here – I'm finally here."

Mary shook her head. "I don't believe you." _Great, now I'm talking to the hallucination. Men in little white coats are going to come take you away to the funny farm, Mary. Wait, do they even have those in England?_

She jumped as a hand landed on her shoulder. "Have faith, beautiful. Turn around."

Gasping at the words and the feel of his warm flesh on her shoulder, Mary turned. It didn't matter that the man in front of her had blond hair and brown eyes and the beginnings of a beard. She'd know that tall lanky frame anywhere. She'd kissed that stupid, silly grin off his face before – though it felt like a lifetime ago now.

"Marshall?" she breathed softly.

He moved his hand up to cup her cheek. "It's me."

The next thing he knew he was reeling from the force of her slap.

"Mary! What the fuck-"

She heard light footsteps running up behind her. "Mary? What's going on?" Jenna was suddenly at her side. "Sadie ran into the house saying you were out here talking to a man and-" she broke off as she looked at him for the first time. She gasped and grabbed Mary's elbow for support. "Marshall?"

Mary backed away from him slowly. "That's right, Jenna. He's alive. He faked his death –" She turned her attention back to Marshall. "Did you know there was a funeral and everything? That your family is at home crying their eyes out because they think you're dead? That Sadie and I thought you were dead – that I have been scared to death for over a month now, thinking that I had to raise our children without their father?"

Marshall reached for her. "Mary- wait-" his hand clamped around her wrist, pulling her back to him. "You're pregnant?" His eyes darted down to her waist, noticing for the first time that her belly was rounded beneath her loose fitting top.

"Yes," she spat the word at him. "I thought that you were **dead**, Marshall. I thought that all I had left of you and me were the babies growing inside me – and I sure as hell didn't know how I was going to raise them without you."

"Them?"

"Twins," Jenna put in proudly and then flinched as their attention swung to her. "I'm just going to go check on dinner and the kids." She gave an awkward wave in farewell.

Mary wrenched her wrist free and resumed walking but Marshall easily kept pace. "I didn't know – how could I? You never said a word!"

"It wasn't something I wanted to say in a text message!"

He sighed. "I know you're angry," he stepped in front of her, and she glared up at him. "And you have every right to be. Look, this wasn't my idea, all right? By the time I knew about it, it was over and done and I was waking up in a safe house being told that my funeral was in three days! I was livid and frantic – because I hadn't been able to get word to you beforehand. Don't you think I would have?"

Mary crossed her arms and continued to shoot daggers. "I gave up everything for you, Marshall Mann and you-"

She was cut off by his lips descending on hers. The anger was still coursing through her, along with the grief that she had carried for a month. She beat her fists against his chest, even landing a kick or two to his knees before she felt her anger and protest melting as her desire for him took over her senses. Curling her fingers in his shirt front, she pulled him deeper into the kiss and opened her mouth, inviting him in. When air became necessary, he tore his lips from hers but kept their faces close together, letting his breath warm her skin and he began kissing away her tears.

"I got your message," he whispered in her ear, before he took the lobe in his teeth.

"What message?' she moaned, as she concentrated on keeping her knees from collapsing.

He pulled back enough to see her eyes. "The paper heart."

She grunted. "I never realized how fitting it would be at the time."

"What do you mean?"

"When I heard you'd been shot and killed – I felt like my heart had been ripped into a thousand pieces – just like a damn paper heart."

He grinned against her lips, before he gave them a peck. "You're turning into a poet, Mon Coeur."

She slapped his shoulder, but it was playful this time. "You're a bad influence on me."

He reached back and pulled it from his pocket, holding the heart so she could see the words she had written. "Did you mean it?"

Anger flared in her eyes again. "What the hell kind of question is that? You should know me well enough by now to know that I don't say anything I don't mean."

"Well, technically, you didn't say it," he continued to bait her.

"You –you-" she grabbed the heart from his hand and started to rip it.

"What are you doing?" he cried as he placed his hands over hers. "Don't do that!"

"Why not? You don't seem to believe it anyway – and you already broke my heart when you faked your death so-"

He crushed their hands together, trapping the paper heart inside. "Then give me a chance to put it back together."

"And just how do you propose to do that?"

"By being your partner in protecting Sadie," he opened their hands to inspect the damage to the paper heart. "By being a good father to our children." He carefully folded the torn heart in half and slipped it into his pocket. "And by spending a lifetime playing, teasing, and loving you."

Her breath caught in her throat. "You still want that?"

"Don't you?"

"STAR!"

Mary jumped back at Sadie's cry just in time to avoid being caught in the flying tackle. Part of her watched with happiness as Marshall scooped the little girl up and swung her in the air, Sadie giggling and babbling in delight. She edged closer to the house, unnoticed by Marshall or the four year old who now held his full attention.

* * *

Jenna looked up from the pizza dough she was rolling as Mary snuck in the kitchen door and frowned.

"Where are Marshall and Sadie?"

"Still outside – I'm going upstairs to lie down for awhile."

"But Mary, I'm sure they want to spend time with you! And it's pizza night – your favorite."

"I'm not hungry, Jenna."

"Mary-"

"Jenna, just leave it alone!" Mary snapped as she headed for the stairs.

* * *

Marshall stuck his head into the kitchen ten minutes later.

"Where is she?"

Jenna sighed. "She's resting, Marshall. I think maybe you should give her some time."

He shook his head. "I know her, Jenna. The last thing Mary needs or wants right now is time to sit up there and think about ways to murder me. How soon before that's ready?" He nodded as he watched her slid the enormous pizza pie into the oven.

"My students will be home to eat this first pizza in half an hour and then I'll feed the kids. So I don't expect to see you and Mary back down here for a couple of hours."

Marshall grinned as he grabbed a flour covered hand and kissed the back of it. "Thanks, Jenna, you're an angel, you know that?"

She grabbed a dish towel and smacked it in his direction. "Get out of my kitchen, you blond haired devil. Her room is the second door on the left at the top of the stairs."

* * *

Mary lay on her side, hugging a pillow to her chest and stared hard at the closed door. She just knew that any minute now he was going to walk through the door. Because their conversation wasn't finished and if there was one thing Marshall hated, it was an unfinished conversation.

But how was she going to finish it? She already felt bad for slapping him, even though he deserved that and more for putting her and Sadie, not to mention his entire family, through hell for letting them think he was dead. But deep down, she had to admit the plan was a good one. If the Forellis thought Marshall was dead, it got one of them off their radar – and yes, she had ticked off Gina in Hawaii but Marshall was always the bigger threat. If they could just manage to stay hidden here in the UK, keep Sadie safe until Carmen was out of prison and ready to resume her role as Sadie's mother, perhaps everything could still work out.

Mary huffed into the pillow. That was a pretty huge 'if'.

Perhaps they should just keep things on a professional level while Sadie was with them. After all, things were complex enough without adding feelings to the mix. Mary's hand trailed down to her stomach. _Who the hell am I kidding? It's gone way too far to turn back now. I'm pregnant with his children. And I've got to stop pushing him away, punishing him for abandoning us, when he didn't even know. He was right about that and you know it, Mary Shannon. If you had told him you were pregnant, he would have left the States sooner and come directly here to your side. You have no one to blame but yourself._

At the sound of the door opening, her eyes flew up to meet those of her partner's.

"May I come in?"

"Looks like you're halfway in already."

"Mary-"

"Come in and shut the door." Marshall shut it softly and crossed to the bed, dropping onto the mattress beside her.

"Where's Sadie?"

"Playing outside with Jacen."

Mary smiled. "Those two are inseparable – I wonder if they'll get married someday."

Marshall reached out and brushed a strand of hair back from her face. "What makes you say that – when we don't even know if they'll be around each other as adults?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I just wonder – I think about the future sometimes, you know, ever since-" she bit her lip.

"Ever since you found out you were pregnant?" he whispered as he stretched out beside her on the bed.

"Yeah."

"I wish I could have been there when you found out."

"Why? You want another smack to go with this one?" she smirked as she reached up and gently ran her hand over the faint red mark on his cheek.

"You were angry?" his startled eyes met hers.

She shrugged again. "I wasn't turning cartwheels, Marshall. Jenna suspected long before I did and bought a home pregnancy test for me to take. When it came out positive, I remember I swore and threw a glass. It made a very satisfying sound as it shattered against the wall."

He chuckled at the picture her words painted.

"I still refused to believe it until Jenna dragged me to the doctor and I got a blood draw, followed by a sonogram."

"Please tell me you didn't punch the doctor, Mer."

She shook her head. "No, I was good at the office. But I had a regular screaming fit in here when I got home. I trashed this room. Broke mirrors, busted pillows – swore at you – and me," Mary finished softly. "When I was done and the dust settled, Jenna poked her head in to look at the damage. The only thing she said was 'You're paying for all this' and then she left me alone until I came downstairs and told her I'd cleaned up the mess."

Marshall leaned his head on her shoulder as she ran her fingers through his hair. "I should have been here with you."

"Yes, you should have."

"I'm here now. Am I too late?"

"For what?"

"For us – for you and me and Sadie and our children to have that lifetime together," he sat up, bringing her with him. "After seven years of partnership, six years of loving you from a distance," he smiled as her eyes widened at this knowledge, "and all the countless heartbreaks we have each been through, is it worth it?"

She cupped his face in her hands, being more careful with his freshly bruised cheek. "It's worth it. I love you, Marshall."

His lips met hers in a kiss that ended far too soon until he realized that she had broken it in order to remove her loose fitting top.

"You have far too many clothes on, lover," she whispered, her thumb caressing his bruised cheek softly.

"Are you going to do something about that, Mon Coeur?"

He smiled up at her as she pressed him down into the bed, straddling his thighs. "I'll undress you on one condition," she bargained as she ran her fingers down his chest.

"What's that?"

She leaned down to press a kiss to the pressure point of his neck. "That you love me all night long."

Mary gave a squeak of surprise as Marshall flipped their positions and he trapped her under him on the bed. "Only tonight?" he growled.

Mary felt the delicious warmth that Marshall's words always caused and she grinned lasciviously in response. "For starters."

* * *

**Ah - finally, reunited! Reviews are L-O-V-E.**


	23. Epilogue

**A/N: Well, my dear readers - this is really, truly the end - of this story, at least. Enjoy the epilogue and I'll see you at the end for a question.**

**Special shout out to BravoExpressions for letting me use the name Colin in my fic too. :D**

* * *

**TWO YEARS LATER (University of Cambridge)**

"That's why it was called the 'shot that was heard around the world'." Marshall paused his lecture as the buzzer sounded. "Tomorrow we'll discuss exactly what material will be on the mid-term. Class dismissed."

There was a shuffle of papers and the sound of conversations starting as students began to leave the large classroom. Marshall turned to the whiteboard to erase his scrawling notes as he heard the sound of throat being cleared.

"Professor Fielding? I was wondering if you had a few minutes to go over a point or two from today's lecture."

Marshall continued to wipe the board, using the time to gather his thoughts. _Every teacher has groupies – but I honestly didn't think I'd have any. Not at my age. But this girl has been mooning over me since the beginning of the semester and I knew it was just a matter of time before she plucked up her nerve to approach me directly._

"Professor Fielding?"

"Hm?" Marshall murmured as he finally turned to face his student. He tried to keep the polite smile on his face, while inwardly he was horrified at her attire. Penelope Woods was wearing a very short skirt and a low cut sweater – both pieces of clothing showing off to full advantage what the good Lord gave her.

Penelope flipped her blond hair over her shoulder. "I'm afraid my mind inadvertently wandered at one point during your lecture-" here she paused and leaned forward over his lectern, letting him have a very good look down the front of her sweater if he cared to look. "and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind filling in the gap for me."

"Ms. Woods," Marshall began.

"Penelope, please."

"Ms. Woods," Marshall stated firmly. "I'm afraid I don't have time today. You see-"

"Dada!"

Marshall turned toward the sound of his boys in relief. He crouched and opened his arms just in time to catch the giggling, squirming, oversized armful. Swinging them up into the air, he said over his shoulder. "Ms. Woods, allow me to introduce my sons: Connor and Colin."

"I'm sorry, Marshall, are we interrupting? I thought class was over."

He met the eyes of his lover and life partner as she slowly walked into the classroom, her eyes taking in the young coed still lounged provocatively against the lectern. Mary's voice dripped sweet with honey but he knew that there was a stinger hidden inside. He smiled into her eyes as he dropped a kiss on her lips.

"And this is Mary."

His tone of voice left Penelope in no doubt the position Mary held in his life. "Pleased to meet you, ma'am. I'm sure I can borrow someone's notes from today, Professor Fielding," Penelope was backing towards the door. "Have a good evening."

"You too, Ms. Woods," Marshall tried to wave but the boys prevented him so he merely smiled and nodded as Penelope fled.

Mary looked at him with a smirk. "One of your groupies?"

He groaned. "I do not have groupies, Mer. I'm far too old for that!"

"Don't sell yourself short, lover. Have you seen you in a pair of Levi's?" Mary made a growling sound deep in her throat and Marshall shook his head at her.

"I thought the newness of our relationship would have worn off by now," he teased her as he leaned in and breathed in her scent.

She laughed. "I didn't hear you complaining last night."

He gently bit her earlobe as she moaned and then hastily backed away as Colin smacked her upside the head. "We need to go if we have any hope of making it on time."

Marshall rolled his eyes. "Here – either help me pack up or take one of your sons."

"My sons? Yeah, right!" But Mary held out her arms and Connor nearly fell out of his father's arms reaching for her.

Marshall settled Colin more firmly on his hip as he began to gather up papers. "Where's Sadie?"

"Out in the hall talking to Dean Foster – I think she's trying to set up her scholarship fund now."

"Wise girl – glad to see my planning gene rubs off on her."

Mary snorted. "How does that work?"

He pulled her into him for another kiss. "Osmosis?"

She rolled her eyes and pushed him away as Sadie ran into the room. "Aunt Mary, did you tell him?"

"No, Kiddo, I was waiting for you."

"Dee!" Colin cried.

At the sight of Sadie, both boys began squirming in earnest to be let down. Mary and Marshall set them on their feet and they made a beeline for the little girl. Sadie opened her back pack and took out two balls, one blue, one red and began rolling them back and forth with Connor and Colin.

Marshall looked at Mary. "Tell me what?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I had a doctor's appointment this morning."

He frowned. "I thought that was just a check-up."

"It was but-" she paused, biting her lower lip nervously.

"But what? Is something wrong?"

"Tell him!" Sadie demanded, looking up from her ball game with the boys.

"I'm pregnant."

Marshall grabbed her upper arms. "What?"

"I'm pregnant – again."

"You're sure?"

She nodded. "Ten weeks – are you-"

"Happy?" He crushed her to him, spinning them around in a circle. "I'm over the moon! I can't believe you're going to make me a father again. Wait," he set her down and backed away a step. "You're not going to hit me, are you?"

Sadie giggled and Mary smiled. "No, Marshall, while I'm still not turning cartwheels – I'm actually-"

He came back into her personal space, cupping her face gently. "Happy?"

She gave a small nod. "In my own way, yes. I'm thrilled to be carrying your child again."

Marshall let out a war whoop before he swooped in and kissed her fiercely.

"Kissy kissy!" Sadie called out, causing her adopted aunt and uncle to break apart and look down at her in amusement.

"Haven't you outgrown that, Kiddo?" Mary asked, a mock glare on her face.

"Aw, I'm just teasing, Aunt Mary."

"I know. Come on, pack up the balls – we have to hurry if we're going to make it to Jenna's engagement party on time."

As the family headed for their sedan, Marshall whispered to Mary: "You're sure the background check came back clean?"

Mary nodded. "Eleanor and I ran it front, back, sideways, upside down – and through every channel we could. We couldn't come up with any other aliases. Henry James Walker is his one and only name and his record is clean."

Marshall paused in buckling Colin into his car seat. "Clean – how clean? Too clean?"

Mary sighed as she lifted Connor into his. "No, he has some petty stuff on his record – same stupid kid stuff everybody does," she paused when Marshall raised his eyebrows. "Ok, maybe not you, lover, but the same stupid kid stuff the rest of us normal human beings do!"

He laughed. "I'm sorry, ok? It's just – it's Jenna, ok? I don't want her getting hurt," he explained as he slid into the driver's seat.

Mary opened her car door and slid inside, checking in the rearview mirror to be sure Sadie had buckled her seat belt in the very back. "You don't have to explain it to me – I've never had a friend other than you, let alone a female friend. I'd never let anything happen to Jenna."

"Can we please go?" Sadie called from the backseat. "I'm starving and I want to see Jacen!"

"Of course, mademoiselle!" Marshall drawled, adopting his French accent. "Is there anything else your little heart desires?"

"Yeah. Aunt Mary, if you could have a girl this time that would be awesome! Then the boys won't outnumber me!"

Mary laughed. "I'll do my best, Kiddo, but it's not really up to me."

Sadie frowned. "Who's it up to?"

Marshall laughed as he started the sedan and pulled out into traffic. As he listened to Mary stumble through giving Sadie an explanation she might understand, he focused on the English countryside passing by outside. A little over two years ago, he had been sitting on his couch, eating Chinese takeout and feeling sorry for himself and wondering if a life with Mary would ever be possible. And now here they were: an adopted "niece" in the back seat, twin boys sleeping in car seats, and another baby on the way. Sure the world at large thought he was dead and Mary wouldn't ever be able to see her mother and sister again. And there was always the chance that the Forellis would find them one day.

But for now – life couldn't get much better than this.

* * *

**A/N: So for those of you who have read the book: The Princess Bride - this ending is very much like that. And I realize that I've left a lot of loose ends. Are they really, truly safe from the Forellis? What happens when Carmen gets out of prison? etc.**

**So, my question to y'all is: sequel or no sequel? **


End file.
